Mate of My Desire
by SehunsBae37
Summary: Fenrir Greyback has never really desired anything in life outside of respect. Well, except one other thing: a mate. He had come to terms with never having one until a chance encounter makes him believe he just might have found her. Turns out, it is none other than Hermione Granger, best friend to Harry Potter. Fenrir desires his mate, and he will have her. Set during HBP.
1. Chapter 1

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 1

Fenrir Greyback, notoriously known werewolf to savage the Wizarding World, well-known for particularly choosing children as his victims and "infecting" them with the "curse" of lycanthropy. As if that was all he was really known for. Publicly, yes. Privately in his pack, no. He led and provided for his pack, negotiating trades and alleviating fights and tension within it. While his pack saw him as a great and powerful Alpha male, wizards and witches did not see him as such. Not that it mattered to him what they thought, not really. Besides respect, there was nothing that he really wanted from them. There was nothing he really wanted in general, to be honest. Well, there was one thing that he wanted, but had already accepted as an impossibility for him: a mate.

Mates in werewolf culture were for the most part unheard of, but not uncommon. Some people generally believed, at least those that didn't let their fear rule their thoughts, the werewolves found their mates as easy as any witch or wizard finding their significant other. That was true in some aspect, but there was a catch to it. Werewolves only really found their mates while in their wolf form; they didn't find them as humans. Sometimes they would get an inkling if they met them as a human, but it would only be confirmed on the night of the full moon if they ran into them again. And in the many years Fenrir had been a werewolf, he had never met the woman that was his perfect match, his mate. As the years past he had given up on the idea of ever finding her, believing that the one for him just wasn't out there. That was until one night he was lurking about in the Forbidden Forest did he know she was out there.

He had been leisurely walking through the Forbidden Forest when he caught the scent of a giant nearby, a smell that wasn't too pleasant, but no worse than that of a troll. Not only did he smell that, he also smelled three other scents, one of which enticed him greatly. Frowning he wondered what scent seemed to be calling to him. He began walking in that direction, the faint scent becoming stronger as he walked. However, he was cut off in his strides when a heard of centaurs galloped past him in the same direction he was headed, one of which knocked him over in as he did. Fenrir growled in annoyance before picking himself up and continuing on his way, taking off in a jog following the centaurs.

Before long he reached the centaurs, only to see them all attacking the giant that he had smelled, the giant holding a pudgy looking woman dressed in what he could only describe as a horrible shade of pink. He could hear yelling and screaming, so much commotion going on below him, but there was one thing that stood out to him amongst everything else going on, and that was the sweet, enticing smell that had called to him. Looking below him, he saw a dark-haired bespectacled boy with unruly black hair and a brunette, obviously a young woman. Though he could not see her face, he knew she was the source of the smell.

Why would she be the one to entice him so greatly? Unless…was she possibly the mate he thought he'd never have? But that was impossible, as werewolves only found their mates in their wolf forms, and tonight wasn't a full moon. He watched as the giant dropped the woman, the centaurs pouncing on her immediately and her begging the bespectacled boy to tell them she meant no harm. It sounded as if she called him 'Potter'. So that was the famous Harry Potter, huh? Then the girl next to him must be his know-it-all friend whose name escaped him. Fenrir continued to watch the scene and couldn't help but chuckle seeing the centaurs carry the pink woman off before Harry told his friend to hurry and they ran off, the girl having thanked the giant before doing so.

However, right before they left, her brown eyes locked with his own before she ran off. It had been a brief connection, but the moment her beautiful brown eyes had met his, Fenrir felt his heart stop in his chest. This feeling…what was this feeling? He had never felt like this before. He felt drawn to her, felt he should be going after her, but it was obvious there was urgency in their run so he did not. But that didn't dispute from the fact that he…wanted her, desired her. And not in the way he would to make her a werewolf. No, he desired her as if he were to desire his…mate.

Blinking in surprise at the revelation, Fenrir couldn't help but wonder if that girl was possibly his mate, the one that was meant for him. But that was impossible, he wouldn't know that unless he was in his wolf form. Even so, he couldn't help but feel that she just might be. Harry Potter's friend just might be the mate that he desired.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here I go again with another Fenrir and Hermione multi-chapter story. I am really fond of this unconventional couple and love writing about them from time to time. I'm happy to finally get a start on this and I hope you guys find it interesting and stick around to read it as the story continues to develop. XOXO, SehunsBae37.**


	2. Chapter 2

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 2

Hermione sat up in her bed in the Girls' Dormitory, panting and slightly sweaty from the dream she had just had. It hadn't been a nightmare that had made her wake up. No, it was a rather…erotic dream. And the dampness of her knickers confirmed that she had indeed soiled herself while dreaming, _again_. Quietly climbing out of bed, she quietly made her way through the dorm room she shared with her Sixth Year Gryffindor female Housemates. Lavender, Parvati, and the other two girls were soundly sleeping, none of them the wiser as Hermione moved to her wardrobe. She opened it quietly and pulled out a clean nightgown before opening a drawer and pulling out a fresh pair of knickers. Once those were in hand, she quietly left the dorm room and went to the bathroom.

Closing the door behind her, she set her clothes on the counter of the sink and grabbed a towel from the towel shelf. She hung that over the shower stall door, then stripped down to nothing before stepping into the shower, grabbing a new bar of soap as she did. Turning the handles, warm water came out of the faucet, cascading down onto Hermione's head and down her body. She sighed and ducked her head under the spray, running her hands over her head and hair and resting them on the back of her neck. She didn't understand why she kept having these dreams. She had been having them almost every week over the summer. And they hadn't started until…until that time in the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione remembered that night clearly. Then again, it was hard to forget life-threatening situations when her best friend Harry was involved. That night, she and Harry—mainly her—had coerced Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest to see "Dumbledore's secret weapon". Of course, there was no weapon and instead they had been discovered by a herd of centaurs. One had shot an arrow at her and in retaliation she began to strangle it. Luckily she hadn't succeeded in killing the centaur as Grawp, Hagrid's giant half-brother, had picked her up and thus the rest of the centaurs had began attacking. Grawp had dropped Umbridge and the centaurs carried her off into the Forbidden Forest, allowing her and Harry to run back to Hogwarts to save the rest of their friends. However before they left, she had seen someone standing where the centaurs had once been standing looking down at them. She couldn't see the person—a man considering his height and muscular build—clearly at the time, and honestly had just glanced at him, but the one thing that resonated with her were his eyes. The man, whoever he was, had impossibly bright blue eyes, and they were beautiful. So beautiful that she couldn't forget them at all.

The dreams began a week after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, after Sirius Black's death and Lord Voldemort's return. She had woken up in her dorm bed with wet knickers and panting heavily, surprised and slightly scared that she had had such a dream. She hadn't been able to see the face of the man that had brought her so much pleasure in her dream, but she had seen his blue eyes. Hermione would have thought that they were Ron's, but Ron's blue eyes were rather…dull in comparison to these eyes. That, and she would have clearly seen Ron's face if it had been him. Surprise had filled her when she realized that it wasn't Ron, considering she found herself rather liking the redhaired male more than a friend as of late. That could only mean she was dreaming about the man in the Forbidden Forest. But what she didn't understand was why she kept having these kinds of dreams about a man she didn't even know, with nothing to go on but his incredibly blue eyes. It was ridiculous!

Shaking her head to clear it from her thoughts, Hermione grabbed the bar of soap she brought into the shower with her and began scrubbing herself with it, cleaning every inch of skin. With the remaining suds of soap on her hands, she ran them through and scrubbed her hair before rinsing herself. It wasn't ideal for her to use this kind of soap for her hair, but she had forgotten to grab her shampoo. When all the suds had washed off her and down the drain, Hermione turned off the shower and wrung her hair out before taking the towel and wrapping it around her body and securing it. Stepping out of the stall, she made her way to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, using her hands to run through her wet, wavy hair. Her hair, which was usually curly at best, though would get bushy like it used to when she was younger at worst, was actually rather wavy whenever it got wet. It was only time she really liked her hair, but knew it was futile to try to maintain the look. Her curls always won out in the end.

Just as she reached out to grab the bottle of hair cream that was kept on the counter she paused. She couldn't help but feel as if she was being watched somehow. But that was impossible, as she was the only person in the bathroom at the moment and all the other girls were still sleeping. And it wasn't possibly one of her male Housemates, as an alarm was set to go off if one of the boys even stepped foot inside the Girls' Dormitory. Even so, she still felt as if there were eyes watching her. And for some reason, she didn't feel scared or on edge about it. Glancing out of the window for a brief moment, Hermione paused and took in a sharp intake of breath. Though it was dark outside and the only source of light available was from the crescent moon in the sky, she could see rather clearly. Her eyes drifted towards the dark of the Forbidden Forest, and there she saw those eyes once again.

Those eyes, those beautiful bright blue eyes, they were watching her. Normally any person would back away from the window and leave the bathroom, but Hermione found herself moving closer to the window instead. She wanted to try and get a good look at the man that had been in her dreams for weeks now, because she knew it was him, the same one from the Forbidden Forest. As she looked back at him looking at her, she took notice that he was muscular, tall, and had long hair. Something about him seemed kind of rugged, as if he was one with nature. She just wished she could see his face; she believed he was probably rather handsome. After what felt like an eternity staring at each other, Hermione watched as the mystery man shrunk back into the shadows of the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.

Sighing she turned and walked back to the sink, grabbing her fresh knickers and nightgown and put them on, dropping the towel in the basket of used towels. Taking the hair cream, she squeezed some in her hand and spread it through her hair from the roots to the tips. Satisfied with her hair, she turned and left the bathroom, heading back to her dorm to go back to sleep. She hoped that this time, after seeing the mystery man—or rather his eyes—once more, she wouldn't be plagued by such erotic dreams anymore.

* * *

Fenrir sat in front of the fire at his little camp, thinking of the young witch once again. Harry Potter's friend had been on his mind for weeks, and found that he wanted to see her again, to see if that feeling he had felt before was still there. And after seeing her in the window of the castle again tonight, he found that the feeling was still there. He found that he still desired her, but he still wasn't completely sure if that girl was his mate. Then again, she just might be, but he wouldn't be sure until the full moon. And that was even if she was out and about the night of the full moon.

He briefly wondered if there was anyone he knew that might know the girl personally. Racking his brain, he found that he couldn't think of anyone. Sighing, he settled down to go to sleep for the night, preferring the feel the elements on his skin along with the warmth of the fire. Closing his eyes, he was on his way to sleep when a sudden thought ran through his mind, his eyes flying open as it did.

Fenrir didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. He _did _know someone that probably knew her, because he knew Potter. He was close to Potter, and he taught them both two years ago. It was his cub, Remus Lupin. The man rejected his werewolf nature and hated him, but he was his best bet. However, he knew he would outright refuse and might even fight him over this. Fenrir rarely left anything to chance, but this was a chance he was willing to take. He just had to bide his time to do it.


	3. Chapter 3

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 3

Remus sat quietly by the fireplace of his small humble home, reading a book he had read once many times before in an attempt to not think about a certain Metamorphmagus that plagued thoughts more than he liked. Or rather, he did like it but felt he did not have any right to. Just thinking of Tonks made his head feel a bit loopy, and he shook his head to free his mind of the vibrant witch. Turning his head back to his book, Remus continued to read and had just turned a page when he suddenly froze.

He could have sworn he had sensed something, or rather someone, just outside of his home. Turning his head slightly towards the front door, Remus stared at it for a moment, all the while feeling the hairs on his arm and on the back of his neck stand up. Someone was out there, someone unwelcome. Gripping his wand tightly in his hand, Remus stood up and silently moved towards the front door, ready to duel with whoever was outside of his home. He was a gifted fighter and on top of that, a Marauder. He knew a few good tricks, spells, and curses to use at his disposal and this intruder was about to get the full brunt of them all.

Waiting a moment, Remus paused to listen for anymore movement. He head nothing at first, but his nose then caught a particular scent, a scent he hadn't smelled in many years. Breathing in a little deeper, Remus thought to place the scent before his blood ran cold as he finally recognized it. That scent, it belonged to his—unfortunately—sire, to the notorious Fenrir Greyback.

Not waiting another moment, Remus wrenched the front door of his home opened and pointed his wand to the direction where Greyback currently was, firing off the Expulso Curse with a shout of, _"Expulso!"_

Fenrir's eyes widened at the sudden attack, but easily sidestepped it before throwing up a shield with his own wand. After blocking a few more spells and curses thrown his way, he was quick to cast the Full Body-Bind Curse on Remus, watching as his pup stiffened and fell to the ground, his wand having fallen to the ground by his side. Walking up to the frozen man, Fenrir bent down and picked up Remus's wand before saying, "I'm not here to fight Lupin, nor am I here to convince you to join my pack. I am actually here because…well, I request your help."

Though Remus could not move a single muscle in his body or face, Fenrir could easily see the shocked and confused emotions in greenish hazel eyes. Bending down the Alpha werewolf grabbed Remus by his stiff ankle and dragged him back inside of his home, closing the door and settling them into the living room in front of the going fire. He laid his pup across his small couch and cast an Incarcerous on him before saying, "Again, I'm not here to start any trouble; I just want to talk. I believe I have found something of importance and I would like your help in discovering if what I have found is true. I will release you of the Full Body-Bind, but only if you listen to what I have to say. Will you at least hear me out on my request?"

Silence flowed between the two, obviously due to Remus not being able to respond vocally. However, his eyes did show his distrust and doubt at his sire's words. He didn't trust the other werewolf, not one bit. In fact, he believed Fenrir wasn't worth a Knut to listen to. However, the Alpha hadn't done anything to deceive him thus far. In fact, all he had done to him was petrify him in order for him to speak. He knew he really shouldn't, but he found himself agreeing to at least allow Fenrir to say his piece. After another moment of silence, Remus let out a relenting grunt, letting Fenrir know that he was willing to listen.

Fenrir nodded and released Remus of the Full Body-Bind Curse, allowing the wizard to sit up, though he was still bound by the Incarcerous Spell. Remus glared at Fenrir distrusting-ly before saying, "Well, get on with it. What brings you here and how could it possibly involve my help?"

"I have been drawn to another for a while now, a woman. I have never felt this way before, never felt this desire. I think…I think I may have found my mate," Fenrir said.

"What?" Remus couldn't help but say in reply, hazel eyes wide in shock. "You found a mate?"

"Possibly, but I'm not sure. Though with how I've been drawn to her and keep thinking about her, even after all this time, I think I very well have."

"Alright…so what does this have to do with me?"

"You know her."

Remus felt his blood run cold at the simple statement. Fenrir not only possibly had a mate, but it was someone that he knew personally? Suddenly thinking of Tonks—and hoping to Merlin that it wasn't—he asked, "Just who is it that you believe to be your mate?"

Bright blue eyes looked into greenish hazel before saying, "Potter's friend, the smart one. It is her I believe to be my mate, and I want your help in either proving me right or wrong."

Silence. A rather thick, tense silence followed Fenrir's statement. The two werewolves stared at each other, one waiting for the other to say something in response. Fenrir watched his pup as the younger man seemed to allow his words to weigh down on his mind. It was obvious to see that Remus was incredulous, maybe even beyond. However, that incredulity soon turned to rage and Remus began to splutter.

"No! What the- How could even- no! Fuck no! I'm not going to put Hermione's life in danger just so you can sate your needs!" Remus yelled.

"It's not about that, it's about finding out if she is my mate or not. I can't help that I'm drawn to her, Lupin. Will you help me or not?" Fenrir replied, though he wasn't holding his breath concerning his question considering the man's reaction.

_"No!" _Remus hissed at him. "And don't you dare come back here or even think of approaching me again. You leave Hermione alone; I mean it, Greyback."

Fenrir sighed and stood up, walking towards the front door of Remus' home. He opened the door with the intention to step out but stopped momentarily to look back at Remus. Giving him a somewhat pointed look, he said, "You don't want to help me, that's fine. But I will discover if _Hermione _is my mate or not by next full moon. And I won't endanger her when I do, you can rest assure that. I just need confirmation."

And with that, Fenrir left Remus's home, but not before cancelling the Incarcerous Spell, freeing his pup from his bonds. The moment Fenrir was gone and he was free, Remus quickly ran to the door and out of his home, intent on finding and stopping his sire from his sick pursuit of Hermione in discovering if she was his intended or not. Unfortunately, he could no longer see him and had lost his scent in the night due to a breeze flowing through, carrying his sire's scent away. Cursing Remus ran back into his home, slamming the door behind him and over to his fireplace. Grabbing some Floo Powder, Remus tossed some inside and stepped into the now green flames before calling out, "Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts!"

* * *

Hermione sat alone in the library doing a few assignments, deciding to do so if only to get some time alone to herself and her thoughts. She had originally been in the Gryffindor Common Room doing her work when she had gotten a letter from Viktor Krum. She hadn't heard from him in a while and was happy to hear from him. However, her happy mood quickly diminished due to Ron having a rather ridiculous display of jealously over the letter. A part of her had been almost thrilled at the aspect of Ron getting jealous over her friendship with Viktor, just like back in Fourth Year, only he had been ridiculously hateful about it and insinuating that someone like Viktor could never truly like her. And thought she had felt almost thrilled, the other part of her was upset over him acting as if he owned or had a claim on her when they weren't even dating. Yes, she believed to have some sort of romantic interest in Ron and it seemed as if he had one in her as well, but she hated that he would act that way but wouldn't step out and just ask her out or confess how he felt. Then again, Ron had always had the emotional range of a teaspoon and seemed to be in some ways a few Knuts short of Galleon. As upset as she had been, she had quickly packed her things and decided to retreat to the library, not even having read Viktor's letter.

She finished writing the paragraph of her Charms assignment she was currently working on before sighing and putting her quill down. She stretched her fingers to rid them of the ache of her furious writing and tilted her neck to stretch is as well. Closing her eyes she took in a deep breath and released it before opening her eyes once again. Hermione started at seeing none other than Luna Lovegood standing in front of her, considering she hadn't been there just a moment ago.

"Luna!" Hermione said in surprise. "Hi."

"Hello Hermione," Luna replied dreamily. "You seem a bit tired or confused rather. Do you have Wrackspurts in your ears?"

"I'm…pretty sure I don't. And if I did, I can assure you my confusion isn't do to them."

Luna nodded and took a seat across from the brunette before saying, "I didn't think so. You are confused because of your feelings for Ron and your desire of your mystery suitor."

The Gryffindor blinked in surprise before saying, "I don't have a mystery suitor." There was no use in denying her feelings for Ron. Harry had stated multiple times to her that Luna always seemed to know more than she let on. Then again, Hermione thought her feelings for Ron were rather obvious, at least to her friends anyway.

The Ravenclaw smile softly and replied, "You do, you just haven't met him yet. Not officially, anyway."

"I've met him?"

"In passing, and he desires you as well. You've seen him in the Forbidden Forest and you dream of him constantly."

A bright, burning blush appeared on Hermione's face and she quickly lowered her voice to a whisper. "Who told you that?!"

"The spirits of the moon did. They favor you greatly, and will find more favor in you during the upcoming full moon."

Hermione just stared at Luna, wondering if Luna really knew what she was talking about or what just being her usual looney self. Everything in her was telling her to just ignore the younger witch, but something in her told her to press for more information. Biting her lip she asked, "Why this coming full moon?"

Luna smiled gently and simply answered, "Because it will be then that you meet your mystery suitor, the one meant to be your forever. Your soulmate, if you will."

"I don't believe in the prospect of soulmates. It is a childish fantasy to make one believe in true love. I'm too practical to believe in such a thing."

"And yet you believe you and Ron are somehow compatible as a possible couple." Luna hadn't meant to dig, and she could tell Hermione hadn't liked her response with the way her lips tightened and her brown eyes glared at her. Holding up a calming hand the blonde said, "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me to say. But trust me when I say this man will change your life wonderfully."

Luna reached over and gave Hermione's hand a comforting squeeze before standing up. "If you will excuse me, I will head up to Ravenclaw Tower now. Say 'hello' to Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville for me."

The brunette watched the dreamy blonde leave, her words rolling around in her head. Hermione believed she should just dismiss them as the random ramblings of Luna, but for some reason she couldn't. Luna had said she would meet her supposed mystery suitor soon, during the next full moon. The thought of finally meeting the man with those bright blue eyes intrigued her, but did she really want to take that risk? Would it be better to just leave it alone and attempt to pursue something with Ron?

Turning her head towards the window, Hermione looked up into the sky to see a half-moon. It would be the full moon soon, and if she wanted to actually meet this person, this man haunting her dreams, then she had no choice but to heed Luna's words. Luna wouldn't purposely lead her wrong; she hadn't with Harry in the past, after all. Realizing what she was doing, Hermione let out a small groan and put her head on the table. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but she decided that she would do as Luna had said and meet this mystery man. And she found herself anticipating the full moon.

* * *

Dumbledore looked gravely at Remus as he finished telling him all about his encounter with Fenrir Greyback and what the werewolf had said. It seemed as if Fenrir was infatuated with young Hermione Granger, or rather intrigued in figuring out if she was his mate or not. The notion of werewolf mates were almost unheard of and not really known about. Not even Dumbledore himself knew of them, but he did know that they were sacred. And if Fenrir believed Hermione to be his, then there was nothing he could do to stop him from claiming her. Luckily, he hadn't yet because Fenrir himself wasn't even sure.

Placing his hands on his desk, Dumbledore looked at Remus and said, "I understand your concern, Remus. However, I believe there is nothing we can currently do considering Fenrir is not completely sure himself about the situation."

Remus looked at the Headmaster incredulously before asking, "What do you mean there is nothing we can do?"

"I mean that as loath as you and I are about it, Fenrir does have a right by werewolf law to see if Miss Granger is indeed his mate, especially if he is already feeling drawn to her."

"But what if she does turn out to be his mate? Then what?"

"Then I'm afraid Fenrir has the right to claim her."

"Albus!" Remus could not believe what his old mentor had just told him.

Dumbledore stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of the younger wizard. Placing a hand on his shoulder he said, "You know I am right, Remus. And if she is and he does decide to claim her, we can do nothing to stop it. It is against werewolf laws to separate mates forcefully, unless you want bloodshed; you know that. And with him being an Alpha werewolf and obvious Alpha of his pack, it is even more sacred. I understand you reject your werewolf nature and want nothing to do with it, but surely you understand the weight of all this."

Remus stared at the old man very troubled before asking, "So what should we do? What should I do?"

"I suggest finding out if Fenrir has any other intentions concerning Hermione, as well as to simply look out for her. And don't let her know about this; there is no reason to alarm her about it."

"He's waiting for the full moon to confirm his suspicion."

"Then let him do so, and if he turns out to be right, you can at least take comfort in knowing he will not harm her."

Remus closed his eyes let out a heavy sigh. "I don't like this, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Neither do I, Remus. Neither do I."


	4. Chapter 4

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 4

Counting down the days to the full moon had Hermione almost bouncing with nerves. She couldn't tell though if the nerves were from excitement or nervousness at the prospect of meeting the mystery man that pleasantly haunted her dreams. Of course, being practical about it, she decided to not completely get her hopes up. She knew that if she completely took Luna's words at face value, she'd more than likely be disappointed and would end up making a fool of herself, something she was not. With that in mind she had decided to ignore the blonde Ravenclaw's words, despite the fact that she had convinced herself to go out on the night of the full moon to meet the mystery man. Instead, she had once again attempted to let her feelings for Ron be known and entertained the thought of pursuing a relationship with him. That was, until recently.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had had an amazing victory against the Slytherin team, and Ron was vastly celebrated for blocking all the Quaffle throws as the new Keeper. Ron had believed his good fortune had been on account of Harry slipping him some Felix Felicis, or Liquid Luck to help calm his nerves about the game. Harry hadn't done so at all but allowed Ron to believe it; he had only done so to shut her up from reprimanding him supposedly doing so, while also getting a jab at her use of the Confundus Charm on Cormac McLaggen during the Quidditch Keeper tryouts so Ron would be Keeper. Hermione had already felt a bit put out from Harry calling her out on that, but that hadn't ruined the night for her despite the celebration going on in Gryffindor Tower. No, it had been seeing Ron kiss Lavender Brown, and rather passionately at that. Sure, Lavender had done so first, but seeing Ron not only not pull away from her, but also seem to thoroughly enjoy it, it had felt like a punch to the gut. She had fled the Common Room to go and have a good cry over her broken heart, Harry being the only one to notice and go after her. He had allowed her a shoulder to cry on, not saying anything to try and help her feel better other than he too felt that way seeing Ginny with Dean Thomas.

Ever since that night, Hermione had put it out of her mind that her and Ron would ever become an item outside of being friends, though she found herself still rather annoyed seeing him and Lavender together. They were just so lovey-dovey with their constant snogging, it was gross. But in putting Ron and the idea of them together out of her mind, all it did was bring the thought of meeting the mystery man on the night of the full moon to the forefront. Luna's words had excited her and she believed she should entertain the idea of doing so. She knew she wouldn't outright trust the slightly looney girl of her own volition, but she knew Harry did and wholeheartedly so. Perhaps she should take a page from her best friend's book and do like him and trust Luna. And so, she soon resolved herself to trust Luna's words and venture out on the night of the full moon. However, Hermione had no idea just how much that night would change her life.

* * *

On the night of the full moon, Hermione had changed from her school robes into a pair of blue jeans and red t-shirt with a grey pullover over it. She replaced her school trainers for her red Chuck Taylors that her mother had gotten her last summer. She then walked through the slightly crowded Common Room and out of Gryffindor Tower to walk the corridors of Hogwarts, pretty sure that none of her Housemates were none the wiser of her leaving. The brunette made her way down the stairs to the Ground Floor, before looking around to make sure no one would notice her leaving the castle, especially with curfew being so near. Seeing no one, she slipped out of the castle and headed out onto the school grounds.

Hermione took a deep breath at the cool fresh air, feeling the wind blowing and rustling through her wild hair. She then walked along the grounds headed towards Hagrid's Hut. She figured that she could spend some time talking with the Half-Giant for a bit before ultimately meeting the man Luna was sure she would meet. It would also help to meet him if only to keep him from erotically invading her dreams. Looking up at the sky as she walked, she could see the clouds decorating the sky, flying along as they were pushed by the wind. She then looked at the horizon and could see the moon beginning to peak out, but not quite yet. Just seeing the moon beginning to peak made Hermione's heart thump in her chest.

Reaching Hagrid's Hut, Hermione raised a hand and knocked on the wood, listening to Fang's barks that followed, as well as Hagrid calming the large hound down. Opening the door, Hagrid grinned at the sight of Hermione and greeted, "'Ello Hermione!"

"Hello Hagrid," Hermione replied with a smile.

"What're you doin' out here so late? Yer not up ter no trouble, are ya?"

"No, no trouble, Hagrid. Besides, I have to have Harry and Ron with me for me to get into trouble."

Hagrid nodded his head slightly. "Yeah, I s'pose that's true. Do you want ter come in?"

Shaking her head Hermione said, "No, that's alright Hagrid. I um…" She hadn't thought of a good reason to knock on Hagrid's door and speak to him. She really just wanted to buy some time before meeting this man, whenever that would be; she just knew it would be soon. Thinking up a suitable lie, Hermione continued. "…I just stopped by because Harry asked me to. He's so busy studying and meeting with Professor Dumbledore so often that he's said he misses visiting you. He asked me to stop by to tell you that he would be by to visit when he got a free moment."

Grinning brightly Hagrid replied, "That be right kind of ya fer doing that fer Harry. I appreciate it, Hermione."

Hagrid gave Hermione a hug in thanks and once again invited her inside for a bit before she had to go. Hermione politely declined his offer stating that she had to be back inside the castle before curfew. With a wave, Hermione turned and left Hagrid's home, waiting until she heard the door shut to stop. After stopping, she then turned back around and headed for the Forbidden Forest, going around the back of Hagrid's Hut to prevent being seen. It was rather convenient that Hagrid's home sat on the edge of the Forbidden Forest; it was also where her mystery man seemed to dwell in, or at least hide out at night.

Ducking through the shadows, Hermione moved from Hagrid's Hut to the Forbidden Forest, stepping into it and walking into it a ways. A chill went up her spine as she remembered the last time she had been here. It had been to lure Umbridge away from the castle and her office in an attempt to save Harry from being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse. It was also the night that she had glimpsed the beautiful bright blue eyes of the man she was sure she was about to meet.

Just thinking about him and the fact she was soon to meet him—at any moment, in fact—made her stomach flutter with butterflies. Shaking her head to clear herself of the sudden fuzzy feeling that she had gotten, she continued walked through the forest before finally stopping, looking around the shadowy forest. The silence of the Forbidden Forest was actually very unsettling and eerie. But if this was wear the mystery man was, then she could endure being here for a while until she met him. Besides, if he could come onto school grounds, he would have already.

Hermione gasped suddenly as she heard the sound of a twig snapping nearby, the sound breaking the silence. Whipping her head around, Hermione looked around before asking into the darkness, "Who's there?"

There was no answer, as to be expected. But was she really hoping for one? In a way she was, but also not at the same time. Upon getting no answer, Hermione took a few more steps further into the Forbidden Forest before once again hearing the snapping of a twig. Taking her wand out she casted the Wand-Lighting Charm, her wand tip illuminating the darkness around her. She continued to look around a bit more before asking once more, "I said, who's there?"

Silence followed her question once more before a deep, gruff voice said, "I believe you're looking for me, little one."

Gasping in surprise, Hermione turned around to come face to face with a large, tall, muscular man, his stature standing much above her. He was even taller than Professor Snape! Though she could see that much of him, she still couldn't see his face as it was still hidden in the shadows. Even so, she could see plain as day his bright blue eyes, the eyes that have erotically plagued her dreams for months. Feeling her heartrate quicken in her chest, she realized that she was staring and thus needed to say something.

"Oh, I uh…I mean, I…yes?" Hermione stammered stupidly. Hermione internally groaned at her lack of words in response to the man's statement and blushed heavily in embarrassment, especially for ending her stammering in a question.

The man chuckled and leant forward a bit, a grin on his face. Hermione's brown eyes widened at seeing his grin. His teeth looked very sharp, like fangs almost. It was scary to see, but she also found that it was a rather nice smile. The man stepped up to her, closing the space between them before saying, "You're Hermione, Potter's friend."

_He knows who I am? _Hermione questioned in her mind. Nodding in confirmation she replied, "Yes."

"You've been on my mind a lot since before the summer, ever since I saw you here with that pink toad."

Hermione found herself blushing heavily from his words. "And…and you've been on my mind a lot, too. I…I really only remember your eyes, but it was enough for me to…to not forget you-uh, I mean your presence." She then cleared her throat to rid herself of her embarrassing ramblings, though it seemed to make the man smile even more. "So, do I get to know your name?"

"I would tell you, but I'm afraid you'll run off upon hearing it. Then again, you will discover who I am soon enough. It is the night of the full moon, and the moon is about over the horizon."

The brunette frowned in confusion wondering what the man meant. She felt as if she should understand what the mystery man was hinting at, but for some reason it was eluding her. It wasn't as if she could help it, though. She was finally meeting the mystery man that had captivated her dreams an it was making her mind almost short-circuit. He made her mind fuzzy, her stomach flutter, and she could begin to feel her loins heat up the more he stared down at her.

Since she couldn't seem to think of what he meant about the moon and her learning who he was soon enough, she decided to ask him about it. However, before she could, the man grunted a bit, doing so more as the rays from the moon shone down through the trees of the Forbidden Forest. The moment the rays touched him, his grunting turned to growling and he bent down onto the ground, Hermione almost asked him what was wrong until she took notice that his fingernails—which were exceptionally sharp—began to lengthen further and fur began to sprout from his skin. The sound of bones breaking and reforming filled the air with his growling, and she watched in horror as his face turned into that of a lupine form, that of a wolf. Or rather, a werewolf.

Her mystery man was a _werewolf_?! Realizing that he was near the end of his transformation, Hermione took off running into the Forbidden Forest, her mind no registering that she was running deeper into it. She could only think of one thing, and that was to get away from the werewolf. She had seen Professor Lupin change, and it had been horrifying, especially so with seeing how he had been trying to stop it. This man however, he had been embracing it, she could tell he had. And for any werewolf to embrace their change every full moon, that didn't bode well for anyone nearby. Even so, she still couldn't believe that that werewolf was her mystery man. She couldn't believe Luna had convinced her to meet a werewolf.

"Stupid Luna! Stupid me!" Hermione hissed to herself as she ran, pushing her legs further upon hearing the howl that pierced the night.

As Hermione ran, the sound of paws running on the ground caught her ears. Oh no, the werewolf was giving chase! The brunette ran as hard and fast as she could in her hopes to get away. Unfortunately, her foot got caught on a root of a tree and she tripped and fell, hitting the ground hardly and her wand flying out of her hand. Hermione hissed in pain and moved to get up, but stopped at hearing a growl from behind her.

Turning around, Hermione came face to face with the werewolf that had been giving chase to her, the werewolf that she had been talking to not too long ago. His bright blue eyes stared at her with an intensity that made her heart beat fast, her breathing quicken, and her body tremble in fear. She scrambled away from her as he began to slowly stalk towards her. As she watched him advance on her, she took in his wolf form, finding the form to be rather familiar to her, like she had seen it somewhere before. Obviously not in person, but in a book or something. She had to have seen this wolf somewhere before.

Right when that thought crossed her mind, she realized that she had seen this werewolf before. She had seen him—the wolf, not the man—in an article in the Daily Prophet about some of the most wanted and dangerous criminals in the Wizarding World. She knew this werewolf, and her eyes filled with tears of fear as he stopped to stand over her, his large, bulky, muscular frame shadowing her from the moon shining above. The only thing she could see was his bright blue eyes. This man, this werewolf…it was Fenrir Greyback!


	5. Chapter 5

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 5

Tears spilled out of Hermione's eyes as she stared up at Fenrir Greyback looming over her, completely frightened out of her wits. Knowing it was no use, Hermione found herself pleading with the hulking werewolf, whimpering out, "Please, please don't. Please…"

Fenrir stared down at the crying brunette, watching as her tears leaked out of her eyes and down her face. He brought his wolfy head closer to her own as he continued to stare at her, looking deeply into her brown eyes. And there, that was where he found what he was looking for, the light in the depth of her eyes that reached out to him and touched him in his soul. She was it, she was what he thought she could have been. This girl was his mate, the mate he now desired more than anything.

Not liking seeing her crying and afraid of him, Fenrir whined low in his throat before moving his wolf head closer to hers again, nudging his snout against her tearstained cheek before licking it, wiping away her tears as only he could. Hermione let out a surprised yelp at the action and scrambled back away from him. Fenrir simply followed her and licked her again, this time on the opposite cheek to wipe away those tears. He scented her neck and pressed his nose into her shirt, inhaling her sweet scent before pulling away to look at her once more. He could see the confusion in her face and the fear still present in her eyes, but she made no moves to stop him. Probably because she was tense with nerves, afraid the slightest sudden move would be enough to make him snap and attack her. But he wouldn't do that to her, not to his mate.

Backing away from her to give her space, Fenrir plopped down on his haunches and stared at her, watching as she blinked in confusion while staring back at him. The night was silent, the light from the full moon shining down on them through the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Her wasn't sure what to do, let alone think. Notoriously savage werewolf Fenrir Greyback was sitting before her in his werewolf form, had even licked away her tears and in a sense tried to comfort her. However, she didn't understand why. Why was he just sitting there after having chased her down? Why wasn't he tearing her apart, savaging her? Why was he simply staring at her with…what was that emotion in his eyes? It almost looked like…adoration. Adoration? For her? But why?

Not knowing what to do, but knowing she couldn't keep sitting there and staring at Greyback, Hermione slowly stood up, completely aware of the werewolf's bright blue eyes watching her every move. She did look away from him briefly to find her wand which she had dropped after she tripped and fallen. However, she let out a surprised scream when she turned around to find Greyback right next to her, having not heard him move from his previous position at all. It had completely startled her and she was shaking a bit in fear at him being so close, but he thus far had made no moves to harm her. The fact that he hadn't made her wonder, but not too much at the moment.

With him being so close to her and now that she was standing, Hermione took the time to take in his appearance. Like his human form, Greyback's wolf form was large and imposing, bunching muscles everywhere. His fur was dark brown, though there was a silvery grey strip going down his back. _That must be why they call him 'Greyback'_, Hermione couldn't help but think.

Stepping back away from him, Hermione said, "I don't know what to make of this. Luna had me believing I'd meet the man that has been haunting my dreams for months tonight, and you turned out to be him. But I didn't think that you would also end up being the savage and notorious Greyback the Ministry is looking for."

Fenrir made no noise in response to her words. He knew she needed time to wrap her mind around the fact that she had ventured into the Forbidden Forest to meet him of all people, as well as the fact that he wasn't attacking her in pure werewolf fashion. Of course, she had no idea that she was also his mate, but with everything else that was overwhelming her at the moment, he also knew that information shouldn't get to her any time soon. Even so, he still wanted her; she was his mate after all.

Hermione fidgeted a bit before looking around the darkness of the forest, suddenly becoming aware that she had no idea where she was in it or how to get back to the castle. Feeling herself begin to panic a bit, Hermione whispered, "Oh no. How am I to get back to Hogwarts now?"

She honestly should have immediately thought and figured out how, but her mind was far from thinking logically at the moment, especially after everything that had just happened. Her mind was so clouded with what she had discovered, it was hard for it to catch up to knowing how to get back to the castle. Luckily for her, the werewolf across from her knew the way.

Making a grunting noise to get her attention, Fenrir walked up to her and nudged his long snout against her shoulder, ignoring how she tensed up. Stepping back slightly, he threw his head towards the right, as if indicating that was the way she was to head. He then turned and began walking in that direction, stopping when he realized the brunette was not following behind him. Huffing, Fenrir pawed the ground before throwing his head again, telling Hermione to follow him. Hermione, though wary, began moving her feet and walked over to where Fenrir stood. When she was beside of him, he began walking again, Hermione keeping pace with him.

Hermione walked alongside Fenrir, not believing this was actually happening. The last time she had been this close to a werewolf—she was actually closer now, but that was beside the point—it had been back when she was a Third Year. Professor Lupin had been discovered to be a werewolf and hadn't taken the Wolfsbane Potion, thus rendering him unable to recognize her, Harry, Ron, Professor Snape, or even Sirius Black, his best friend. Though, a lot had happened that day and they had just met Sirius and discovered that he had not in fact given away Harry's parents' location to You-Know-Who. But still, it was a lot to take in, especially now that this werewolf was the infamous Fenrir Greyback. But it did make her wonder how come he wasn't holding up to his reputation and savaging or biting her.

The two of them walked in silence and before Hermione knew it, she could see Hagrid's Hut come into view. Feeling relieved to see it, a bright grin broke out on Hermione's face and she took off toward it in a run, completely leaving her werewolf companion behind. Stepping out of the Forbidden Forest, Hermione hurried to head back up to the castle, but then hesitated. Looking back, she saw Fenrir standing in the shadows of the trees, completely shrouded by them in the darkness. However, the one thing that stood out to her were his bright blue eyes intensely watching her.

The brunette wasn't sure what to do. She had gone out to meet him, only to discover he was a werewolf. And when he should have taken the opportunity to hurt her, he didn't; rather, he seemed to comfort her and even helped her find her way back to Hogwarts. It didn't make sense and she didn't understand, but she knew she was grateful to him for his help. Lifting her hand, Hermione gave a small, awkward smile and waved slightly before running back to the castle under the light of the moon, though keeping to the shadows as best she could to avoid detection. And the whole way, she felt the Fenrir's gaze on her retreating form, but she didn't dare look back.

* * *

Hermione snuck into Gryffindor Tower, looking around to see if any late night Gryffindor stragglers would notice her return. Seeing that none of them did, she hurried up to the Girls' Dormitory and quickly went to her dorm. Stepping inside, she ignored Lavender's gushing about her relationship with Ron and Parvarti's giggling and grabbed her nightgown and a clean pair of knickers before turning to head for the communal bathroom.

Stepping inside the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror and wasn't particularly shocked to see herself look so frazzled. _Anyone would be frazzled after having a run-in with a notorious werewolf, or any werewolf for that matter, _she couldn't help but think.

Wanting to forget about it all, Hermione stripped herself naked and stepped into the shower, washing herself clean and especially scrubbing her face to get rid of Fenrir's saliva from him licking her. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel before drying herself off, then towel drying her hair. She then put on her knickers and nightgown and went back to her dorm. Grabbing her wand, she used it to completely dry her damp hair and tie it back in a French braid before climbing into bed, closing her bedcurtains to have some privacy, not even bothering to even bid Lavender and Parvarti 'goodnight'. And as she lay there, she tried to get her mind to settle so she could sleep, but she knew it was futile. She still couldn't believe what had happened and it was hard to wrap her mind around it. Fenrir Greyback was the mystery man that Luna had convinced her to go out and finally meet. And though she was obviously frightened of him for good reason, she couldn't deny that she had felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart had raced in a pleasant way from just being in his presence. Not only that, but he too had seemed to be a bit enthralled with her, very intrigued with her even. They had even admitted they had been thinking of each other a lot, though that was before she found out who he was.

Not knowing what to do and afraid of whatever dreams she would now have following her encounter with Greyback, she summoned a Dreamless Sleep Potion from her trunk and uncorked it, bringing the phial to her lips. And as she drank the purple potion, right before being hit with the drowsiness promised by the potion, she made a mental note to write a Professor Lupin. If anyone could help her in concerns to werewolves and what happened tonight, it was him. Soon she finished the potion and laid her head on her pillow, soon falling asleep and dreaming of nothing—no mystery man that was Fenrir Greyback, no magnificent bright blue eyes, nothing—just like she wanted.


	6. Chapter 6

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 6

As soon as Hermione had awoken the next morning, her encounter with mystery man turned Fenrir Greyback came flooding back to her mind. It was still unbelievable that that savage of a man was the man that plagued her dreams and thoughts ever since laying eyes on him, as brief as it had been the first time. She even found it hard to believe that the werewolf possessed such beautiful eyes, and yet he did and she could not deny it. Not only that, but she could not fathom for the life of her why he hadn't attacked or bitten her when he very well could have—probably should have. Wanting answers, she could only think of one person to ask: Remus Lupin. If anyone could help her with this situation, it was him. Or at the very least, she hoped he could.

She quickly got out of bed and slipped her feet into her slippers, her movements silent and not waking up her dormmates as they continued to sleep on. She crept out of the room and down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room, that being just as silent as her dorm. It would seem everyone was still very much asleep, understandable as it was Saturday morning. Only she would be the one up at such an ungodly hour, even if it was only a little after seven in the morning. Walking over to a table, she took some blank parchment and a quill and began to write a letter addressed to Remus, or Professor Lupin as she still called him. It felt weird to address him by his first name, even if he wasn't her professor anymore, but he had been her favorite by far in her Hogwarts career. Before long she was done with her letter and folded it to be prepared to send off.

Still in her nightgown and slippers, Hermione left Gryffindor Tower—all the while ignoring the Fat Lady berate her for walking around in her nightwear—and headed towards the Owlery. Reaching the Owlery, the brunette stepped inside it and began searching for a bird to use. Her brown eyes soon locked onto Harry's Snowy owl Hedwig, and she grinned before stepping up to the sweet bird. Stroking her feathery head, she greeted, "Good morning, Hedwig."

Hedwig made a noise of pleasure from Hermione's gently stroking before nipping her finger affectionately. Laughing softly, Hermione held up her folded letter and said, "I have a letter that I need sent to Professor Lupin. I'm sure you remember him from his time here and with Harry. Would you mind flying this off to him this morning? You don't have to wait for a reply, but I promise to save a piece of bacon for you at breakfast when you return."

Not needing to be told twice, Hedwig chirped before gently taking the letter from the brunette and flying off into the sky, presumably towards Professor Lupin's location, wherever that would be. Satisfied with her mission, Hermione turned and left the Owlery, making her way back to Gryffindor Tower to get in a few more minutes of sleep or to get ready for the day, whichever came first.

* * *

Remus sat at his little kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee, the got liquid warming his insides as he accompanied it with some scones and jam. As tired as he was, he was reading his book, the same one he had been reading the night Greyback showed up outside of him home, and was trying to continue further into it. However, he couldn't seem to concentrate on the words on the pages. The reason for that being was the fact that he couldn't help but wonder about what happened last night.

Last night had been the full moon, the night that his sire had expressed his desire to find out if Hermione was his mate. He hadn't wanted that to happen and hoped that it did not, that Hermione wouldn't have been dumb enough to venture out into the Forbidden Forest and actually meet Greyback. When he had brought Greyback's visit up to Dumbledore, the old Headmaster hadn't been too thrilled about it either, especially considering the werewolf's intentions. However, Dumbledore had said that he had the right to figure out if Hermione was his mate and if she was, he then had the right to claim her. And if that was the case, there was nothing he or Dumbledore or anyone could do about it. Mates were sacred in werewolf culture, especially when an Alpha was involved. And in Greyback's case, nothing would stop him from having Hermione if she was his mate. Remus could only hope that the night went by and Hermione had stayed in her bed the entire time, therefore not giving his sire the chance to find out.

The sound of flapping wings caught his attention before the bird even reached his window. Turning his head, Remus smiled upon seeing Harry's owl hovering outside of his window with a folded piece of parchment in her mouth. Standing up he said to himself, "Harry has sent me a letter. It's been a while since I heard from him."

Walking over to the window, Remus opened it and allowed Hedwig to perch on the windowsill for a moment. She let him have the letter and gently nipped his finger before turning and flying off into the sky back to Hogwarts. Remus smiled as he watched the pretty white owl fly away before closing his window and sitting back down at the table. He took another sip of his coffee before unfolding the parchment. He was surprised to see Hermione's perfect penmanship on the parchment rather than Harry's slightly messy handwriting. A sudden sinking feeling erupted in Remus's stomach and he closed his eyes briefly before readying the letter.

_Professor Lupin,_

_I know it has been a while since last hearing from me, but I must enquire your help. For the past few months now, I have been drawn to a mysterious man in the Forbidden Forest, and as of last night I finally met him. A friend suggested last night because of the full moon, but I didn't understand what she meant at the time. However, I quickly did upon finding out the man was Fenrir Greyback. I was terrified that he would kill me, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't harm me in the slightest and even helped me find my way back to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to get back to Hogwarts. _

_Professor, I don't know what to make of this situation or what it means. Therefore, I am hoping you could help me shed some light about my experience last night. If Fenrir didn't hurt me, then does that mean he wants something from me? And if so, what does he want? _

_I know you are possibly busy, but I will await your return letter at your earliest convenience. _

_Sincerely, _

_Hermione Granger_

Hazel eyes widened in horror as Remus read and reread the letter. Hermione had encountered Greyback last night! No! No, this wasn't good! From what he was able to gather from the girl's letter, that could only mean one thing: Fenrir found out Hermione was his mate! This was not good at all! He needed to talk to Albus, and he needed to talk to him now.

Hurrying over to the fireplace, Remus threw some Floo Powder in it and said, "Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts."

Green flames erupted in the fireplace and after a moment Dumbledore's head appeared in them. Smiling at his former student Dumbledore greeted, "Good morning, Remus. How was the full moon?"

"I would rather not make small talk right now, Albus. Something important happened last night, and it can't wait," Remus replied quickly.

Able to see the anxiousness in Remus's eyes, Albus nodded and stepped through into the werewolf's home. Brushing the soot from his gaudy robes, Dumbledore looked at Remus again and took in his grave expression before finally speaking, saying, "I take it Fenrir now knows whether Miss Granger is his mate or not now."

Nodding in confirmation, Remus said, "Yes, but I didn't hear it from him." He then held up Hermione's letter and said, "Hermione sent me this letter this morning explaining she encountered him last night in the Forbidden Forest and expressed her confusion as to why he hadn't attacked her. Albus, Hermione unfortunately _is _Greyback's mate."

Dumbledore took the letter from Remus and read its contents before nodding and saying, "Yes, it would appear so."

"What do we do?"

"Nothing."

"Albus! We can't not do something! We have to protect Hermione and keep Greyback away!"

The old wizard shook his head. "We've already discussed this, Remus. Fenrir has every right to claim Hermione now that he knows she is his mate. However, please take comfort in the fact that he won't try and breach Hogwarts to find her."

Remus frowned in worry. "How can you be so sure that he won't?"

"Because if he wanted to, he would have done so by now. But like everyone, he knows Hogwarts is a safe place for her and the other students. He wouldn't dare step foot inside the castle, let alone the grounds."

"Alright, fine. But what about when she's off the grounds? When goes she home? Or to Hogsmeade? What then? She's just a child."

Dumbledore nodded, understanding Remus's concern. "I am aware that she is still a child, but Hermione is now a young woman. I'm sure Fenrir knows this as well and will maybe even wait a few more years before deciding to stake his claim. And from the little information that you have told me concerning werewolf culture and mates-"

"I still don't know much, just what I was able to find out and tell you," Remus interrupted.

"I understand, but even from that little bit, not only will Fenrir wait before claiming her, the time with also have Hermione experiencing the Pull, thus subconsciously drawing her towards Fenrir. Of course, now is not exactly a good time with Voldemort's return and his need to rise in power. He may be even begin recruiting Dark Creatures such as werewolves for his cause and may even reach out to Fenrir. However, everyone knows Hermione is Harry's friend and will stick by his side during the war, and I'm sure Fenrir knows that as well. During this time of war, he won't touch her, even with the knowledge he is now her mate."

Remus, despite his reservations and mistrust of Fenrir and his intentions, was able to feel a sort of relief upon hearing that Greyback more than likely wouldn't consider going after Hermione until the war ended. But when the war was over, he was free to puruse her, especially by that point, Hermoine would officially be of age and in womanhood. There would be no stopping the Alpha werewolf from claiming his mate, especially with it being sacred in werewolf law.

Running a hand down his face tiredly, Remus shook his head before saying, "I don't like this, Albus. Can't we…I don't know…warn Hermione so she isn't surprised when Greyback eventually springs the news on her?"

Dumbledore contemplated Remus's question for a moment before answering, "I suppose that wouldn't be an issue. It would be better to hear it from you directly rather than through letter, though. Write to her and tell her to meet you in my office next Friday evening after dinner and you will talk to her then. But for now, you need to rest. I know the full moon was strenuous on you and you need proper rest. Rest now Remus and try not to worry too much about this. And like I said, try and take comfort in the fact that Fenrir will not harm Hermione now."

With that said, Albus took some Floor Powder and through it in the fireplace before calling out his destination and stepping into the green flames. As he was swallowed up by the flames, Remus sighed and sunk down on his couch, his head in his hands. He still couldn't believe that last night's encounter had happened. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it now. All he could do now was write his return letter and hope for the best come next Friday evening.

* * *

Hermione read Professor Lupin's letter in silence later that evening, satisfied with his response while also curious. She wondered what he needed to say to her about her encounter with Fenrir that couldn't be said on paper. She supposed it didn't really matter, as she would be getting an answer to her questions regardless next Friday evening. Folding the letter and placing it in her pocket, Hermione began walking down the stairs to the Great Hall from where she had stopped when an owl flew to her with Lupin's letter.

When she reached the Fifth Floor, she was not really surprised to see Luna waiting there for her. The dreamy Ravenclaw smiled at her and greeted, "Hello Hermione."

"Hello Luna," Hermione replied in greeting.

The two of them walked together down the stairs for a moment before Hermione finally spoke, a question on her mind she just had to get out. Taking a deep breath she asked lowly, "You knew I would be meeting a werewolf last night, didn't you?"

Luna simply smiled and replied, "I told you, the moon spirits found favor in you. They promised me they wouldn't allow harm to come to you, and from what I can see, they kept their promise."

Hermione still didn't fully understand Luna's speech patterns, but she understood this one. Luna basically told her that the moon spirits—whatever those were—knew she would encounter a creature of the moon and that the creature wouldn't harm her. And for some reason, it didn't because those spirits favored her for some reason. She still didn't fully understand, but she was grateful to Luna for having faith she'd be alright. And like Luna said, she wasn't harmed in any way.

With a small smile, Hermione continued on to the Great Hall with Luna, the two girls talking about different subjects, particularly creatures they learn about in Care of Magical Creatures. Talking about them made Hermione momentarily think to ask Hagrid about werewolves, but then realized he wouldn't know anything about them, if not anything more than what everyone else knew. With that thought in mind, she decided to just wait for Professor Lupin's arrival next week. She was really curious as to what he had to say about Fenrir Greyback's behavior the night before.


	7. Chapter 7

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 7

Before Hermione knew it, a week had flown by and it was now Friday, the Friday that she would have her talk with Professor Lupin. It excited and terrified her at the same time, but she needed to have this talk. She needed to understand what exactly happened the night when she realized her mystery man was Fenrir bloody Greyback. As terrifying as it had been to realize that, as well as be so close to him transforming and being mauled, he hadn't in the slightest tried to hurt her; he had ran her down though, so there was that. That seemed to her to go against all she knew about the nature of werewolves on the night of the full moon. So yes, she was anxious to talk to Professor Lupin about it, but first she needed to get through her classes.

Sighing softly, Hermione mumbled to herself, "Three more classes to go, then dinner time, and then…I get to talk with Professor Lupin."

"What was that, Hermione?" Harry asked quietly from beside her while in they sat in Transfiguration.

"Nothing," Hermione replied while shaking her head. She gave her friend a reassuring smile before turning back to Professor McGonagall's teaching. Yes, it wouldn't be long before she finally got some answers to her questions.

* * *

During dinner, Hermione laughed and participated in conversation with her friends—Ron excluded due to him paying attention to Lavender—and had herself a good time. However, it didn't stop her from remembering what was to come her way in just minutes. Dinner would be over soon, and then she could go to the Headmaster's Office. Hermione was busy telling Ginny about the properties of belladonna for her Herbology report and its uses—Harry listening intently as well, as for him this was review—when a throat cleared from behind the two girls.

Turning around, Hermione and Ginny looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing behind them. Smiling Hermione greeted, "Hello Professor."

"Good evening, Miss Granger," McGonagall replied. "Giving Miss Weasley a quick lesson, I presume?"

"Yes, I asked her for some help," Ginny answered.

"I see. And you, Mr. Potter?"

"Just a review for me, Professor," Harry replied.

McGonagall nodded before turning her attention back to the brunette. "Miss Granger, when dinner is over, you will report to Professor Dumbledore's office. He's called for an audience with you."

Hermione nodded. "Yes Professor."

Professor McGonagall gave her shoulder a pat before walking back up to the Professor's Table to finish her own dinner. As soon as she was out of earshot, Harry and Ginny looked at Hermione with curious expressions on their faces.

"What do you think Dumbledore is calling you for?" Harry asked.

Smiling a bit sheepishly, Hermione answered, "Well, I actually called a meeting with Professor Lupin and he agreed to meet me in Dumbledore's office. Apparently Dumbledore will be present as well."

Harry's green eyes widened in surprise. "Remus is coming? Why didn't you tell me? I'd like to see him."

Suddenly feeling a bit guilty, Hermione gave Harry an apologetic look. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't think about that."

"It's alright, Mione. Just be sure to tell him I said 'hello' and that I'm looking forward to seeing him at Christmas."

"I will."

Ginny smiled and asked, "So what are you seeing him for?"

Hermione had a brief moment contemplating whether she should lie, but knew she was a horrible liar. Deciding to go with a part of the truth, she answered, "I'm inquiring him about werewolves and werewolf culture."

Harry and Ginny blinked in surprise before Ginny said, "But you already know that stuff."

"Not all of it, and I just want to know a bit more. And I don't know any other werewolves, so Professor Lupin seems like a good source."

Nodding slowly, Harry said, "Yeah, that sounds okay. But why now?"

Hermione's brain quickly thought up an answer. "Well, the full moon just went by and I thought about him and how he was doing. That, and I'm thinking I know what I want to do post-graduation." Seeing she fully had Harry and Ginny's attention, she continued. "As you know Harry, I've always been an advocate for magical creature rights—my failed S.P.E.W. campaign is evidence of that—and I think I want to go a bit further. I'm thinking that I can work in the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and try to help werewolves gain proper and equal rights as magical citizens. They are still witches and wizards, after all. They just take on a certain form every full moon, that's all."

Ginny and Harry looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the brunette, encouraging smiles on their faces. Grabbing her hand Ginny said, "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"So do I, and I think Remus will appreciate it," Harry said.

"Thanks, you guys," Hermione said with a smile. She was glad that what she said sounded so convincing that it was enough to draw suspicion away from why she was really meeting with Professor Lupin. Returning back to her earlier conversation with Ginny, Hermione couldn't keep her leg from bouncing with nerves. It was almost time to learn the truth about what happened that night.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Hermione raised her fist and lightly knocked on the door to the Headmaster's Office, waiting to gain entrance. A moment later, the door opened, allowing her to step inside. As she did, Professor Dumbledore smiled at her and greeted, "Good evening, Miss Granger."

Nodding Hermione replied, "Good evening, Professor."

She looked around for a moment before asking, "Is Professor Lupin here?"

"He should be arriving momentarily," Dumbledore replied. Grabbing his little container of Lemon Drops, he offered her one, to which the brunette politely declined.

The sound of the fireplace roaring brought their attention to it and soon Remus Lupin stepped out of the green flames. He brushed some soot off of his clothes before turning to the two occupants of the office. Nodding at them he said in greeting, "Hermione, Albus."

"Good to see you, Remus," Dumbledore said with a smile. He then turned his attention back to Hermione. "As you already know Miss Granger, Remus is here to talk to you about what you encountered during your little excursion into the Forbidden Forest last Friday night." Seeing her embarrassed flush about what she did, he continued. "I won't punish you for what happened, seeing as it is confusing for you and that you are alright. Just the same, what happened is better heard coming from Remus rather than me. And so, I will allow him to take over."

Taking that as his cue to speak, Remus took a deep breath before gesturing for Hermione to take a seat in the chair near Dumbledore's desk while saying, "If you would sit down, Hermione. It might be best for you to sit considering what I have to tell you."

Hermione did as told, silently wondering what her former professor had to say about her encountering Fenrir Greyback that would be better for her to hear while seated. Once she was settled, she asked, "Can you tell me about Greyback's strange behavior towards me that night?"

Remus looked at the young girl before closing his hazel eyes, a slightly pained expression on his face before opening them again. "Greyback's actions that night are, as you say, strange considering he did not do what werewolves typically do when they encounter someone during the full moon. Now, understand that he has been a werewolf for a long time, so his behavior could very well differ from my own should I not take Wolfsbane or any other werewolf. But what he did, it is not so unusual considering the circumstances."

Hermione's brows furrowed slightly, and she nodded slowly before saying, "Okay."

Taking another deep breath, Remus looked the brunette in the eyes and said, "Greyback's actions towards you that night are actually appropriate for a werewolf that has found their other half."

Brown eyes widened in shock to his words. Her mouth suddenly feeling dry, Hermione gulped before asking, "When you say that they find their other half…you mean…?"

"The werewolf finds their mate. Hermione, I'm sorry to say this, but it would appear that you are Fenrir Greyback's mate, his life mate."

Hermione stared at her former professor in shock, her mouth hanging open as her ears filled with the sound of her blood rushing from his words. She couldn't have possibly heard him correctly, right? There was no way that Lupin had just told her that she was Greyback's mate, right? Even so, as she looked from him to Dumbledore and saw they had the same grave expressions on their faces, she knew that she had indeed heard him correctly. Feeling her heartrate rise in her chest, she began panting as she was sure she was on the verge of having some sort of anxiety or panic attack. Taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, looked up at Professor Lupin and chocked out, "Are you sure?"

Remus gave her a pitying look and nodded answering, "Yes."

Brown eyes widened further before Hermione felt suddenly lightheaded. The next thing she knew, she was tilting towards her left, thus falling out of the chair only to be caught by the man that had delivered the unbelievable news to her. She could vaguely hear him calling her name, the sound of his voice sounding muffled, as if coming from underwater. Her eyes were still open, but she wasn't looking at anything in particular, her mind still trying to wrap around what had been revealed to her.

After a while, Hermione finally clenched her eyes shut before opening them, blinking a bit before softly saying, "I'm alright now."

Remus looked at her to be sure before nodding, helping her back into her seat. As he did, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar, offering it to the girl. Taking it from him, Hermione thanked him before opening it and nibbling on it. As she did, Dumbledore took the time to speak.

"We understand that this is shocking for you Miss Granger, but rest assured that you are safe here and nothing will happen to you despite Fenrir now knowing you are his mate," Dumbledore said.

Looking up at the old wizard Hermione asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. And trust me when I say he won't do anything to claim you as of yet."

"Claim me?" Hermione looked at Lupin incredulously. "What do you mean 'claim me'?"

"Well, werewolves claim their mates once they find them, and usually immediately," Remus told her. "But in your case, Greyback did not."

"And the only reason I can think of for that is that he knows you are not ready," Dumbledore inputted.

"That, and things happening concerning the war and You-Know-Who are happening a bit quickly. He probably thinks it best for this war to blow over before laying claim to you," Remus added.

Hermione shook her head vehemently, her curly hair flying as she did. "But I don't want to be his mate! I don't want him to claim me! I refuse!"

Remus gave Hermione a sad look. "I know, and I'm sorry that it's you Hermione; believe me, I am. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to change the fact that you are his mate and that he will claim you eventually. But if it's any consolation, he won't harm you whatsoever."

She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or not. It was still so hard for her to come to terms with what she had learned. She was Fenrir Greyback's bloody life mate! How could she possibly be the mate to a notoriously savage beast?! And no, not beast as in werewolf, because that would be hypocritical of her considering she is friends with Professor Lupin. No, she meant 'beast' as in a terror that knew nothing about how to be a friend or love someone or care about anything but himself. This was all too much for her to handle right now, she just knew that. She needed to get some fresh air, she needed to get away from the two men that had just turned her life upside down.

Standing up from her seat, she looked at Lupin and Dumbledore with a hard expression before saying, "This changes nothing. I'm not Greyback's mate and I refuse to be. He won't be claiming me, and I won't ever care for him."

Quickly turning, Hermione fled from the Headmaster's Office, ignoring Remus's call of her name.

As the door slammed behind the brunette, Remus looked at his old mentor and said, "She has to understand there is nothing she can do to change this, Albus. She is Greyback's mate and he will claim her. I didn't even get a chance to tell her about the Pull."

Nodding Dumbledore said, "I know, but give her time to process this. It was a right shock that you gave her about what happened that night and she's just in denial. Miss Granger will accept this news eventually, just give her time."

"Yes, but how much time?"

"As long as she needs. I doubt there will be any more encounters between the two of them this year, so nothing to worry about, Remus."

Remus nodded, though honestly, he wasn't so sure he agreed with Albus on this one. But he did know that no matter what, he would watch out for Hermione and help to guide her in this knew chapter in her life. That, he would promise to her and to himself.

* * *

Hermione practically ran up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, panting as she ran to the railing and gripped it, cold wind blowing over her face. She still couldn't believe what Professor Lupin had told her about her encounter with Fenrir Greyback. In encountering him, she had allowed him to realize that she was his mate. She briefly wondered if that was why she had been having erotic dreams about him before actually meeting him, but she shook her head at the thought. No, it wasn't true! She wasn't Greyback's mate, not in any way!

Frustrated and feeling scared about the revelation, Hermione thumped the heel of her hand against her forehead as tears filled her eyes. She didn't want to be his mate, she didn't want for him to claim her. She wasn't property, she was a person, something she was sure Greyback didn't understand in the slightest. No, she refused to believe any of it and she refused to think about it anymore.

Wiping her tears away, Hermione resolved herself to forget about Fenrir Greyback and possibly being his mate. Firm in her decision, she took a deep breath to steady herself and turned to leave the Astronomy Tower and head back to Gryffindor Tower, not at all noticing a pair of bright blue eyes watching her intently.

* * *

_Months Later…_

Hermione couldn't believe it. Here she was running through the corridors of Hogwarts as she dodged curses and attacks from Death Eaters that had been able to infiltrate Hogwarts. Not only that, but the news of Professor Snape killing Professor Dumbledore had spread and had her mind whirring. However, she couldn't think about that right now. She had to find Harry. Luckily, the Order of the Phoenix had showed up to resist against the attacking Death Eaters.

Running through the crowds of screaming students, Hermione turned and corner and stopped dead as she noticed a large, hulking form coming her way with a few other Death Eaters. Her heart stopped in her chest as she recognized Fenrir Greyback. Looking around, she spotted a hidden crevice in the wall of the corridor and slipped into it, easily hidden from view.

Fenrir walked down the corridor, easily scaring Hogwarts students as he did. He felt rather pleased with himself, as he had been able to easily attack the eldest son of the Weasley family. He wasn't sure he had killed him, but it felt good to attack him. As he continued down the corridor, a familiar smell met his sensitive nose. Stopping, he allowed his companions to continue on their way as he looked around, continuing to smell the scent that he had engraved in his memory earlier that year, the scent of his mate.

Looking at the wall, he saw a hidden crevice and could smell her scent coming from it. Smirking, he found it humorous that his little mate decided to hide here, though he did commend her for it, as it was obvious one wouldn't immediately notice the hiding place. Walking over to the wall, he peered into the crevice and bright blue eyes met the wide brown ones of Hermione Granger.

Grinning, Fenrir reached in and grabbed hold of the witch's arm, pulling her out of her hiding spot. Ignoring how she was hitting him with her tiny fist, he pulled her into an embrace and stuck his nose into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent as she struggled against him to get out of his hold. Merlin, she smelled wonderful, just like he imagined his mate would smell. Ducking his head lower, he stuck his face into her neck and scented her once more before being bold and giving the column a slow, sensual lick. He felt Hermione stiffen at the action and how she began to tremble, her heart racing in her chest.

Pulling away, he looked into her wide eyes and muttered, "Until next time, mate."

With that, Fenrir released her and continued on his way down the corridor. Hermione stared after him, her body still trembling and her heart still racing at what had just happened. She was positive it was in fear, but something in her was telling her that it was also racing in desire. Desire? Desire for Greyback? No way, it wasn't possible. She was just scared, her nerves were up. Even so, she couldn't stop herself from staring after him for much longer than she needed to.


	8. Chapter 8

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 8

_1 Year Later…_

Fenrir almost couldn't believe his luck. When he had been teamed up with a few Death Eaters and Snatchers to Snatch Muggleborns and turn them into the Ministry, he had found it rather boring and personally, it bothered him; it bothered him because his mate was Muggleborn. Of course, the Death Eaters called them Mudbloods, but he wouldn't call them that, not anymore. Even so, doing the job was a bore to him, yet it made him worry for Hermione. But when he had heard that she hadn't returned to Hogwarts—along with Potter and Weasley—he knew that the war was going to come to a head. The three were on the run and obviously doing what they could to bring down the Dark Lord. Still, he was being assigned jobs of Snatching withes and wizards. Imagine his surprise at his luck that he was summoned with the taboo placed on the Dark Lords name by none other than Potter and his friends themselves.

He and the other Snatchers chased them down through the woods, but he mostly kept his focus on catching Hermione. He needed to hold her in his arms again, even if it was against her will. He just wanted to hold her for a moment. When it was obvious that he and his companions had them cornered, he saw her throw a spell at Potter's face, instantly knocking him flat on his back before throwing another spell at Scabior, the wizard blocking it easily. Finally reaching her, he wrapped his arms around her and held her to his body, ignoring her struggles as he plucked her wand from her hand, putting it in his pocket.

Putting his face in her neck through her wild curls, he inhaled her sweet scent deeply before murmuring lowly in a gruff voice for only her to hear, "Hello again, mate."

He felt the brunette stiffen in his hold before beginning to tremble, whether that was in fear or a possible response to him, he wasn't sure.

Fenrir enjoyed holding the brunette to him, for the most part ignoring the other Snatchers as they interrogated Potter and Weasley, the idiots not at all recognizing any of them in the slightest. However, the moment Scabior stated they were to take them back to Malfoy Manor, Fenrir felt his stomach drop. Taking them to Malfoy Manor meant taking them to Bellatrix Lestrange, and he could only imagine what heinous thing the deranged witch would do to any of the three, especially his precious mate.

* * *

Hermione stood still as she watched Bellatrix and Lucius pressure the youngest Malfoy into saying whether or not Harry was Harry, the blond male not answering right away. He then asked what happened to his face, the question being enough of a stall for Bellatrix to ask the same question. As this was happening and her stating she wanted her wand to view her last spell, Hermione tensed at feeling Greyback's hands—him still holding her—move along her body. One hand traveled down to grip her hip while the other traveled to her breast. He gave it a squeeze, causing her to let out a small squeak before trying to jerk away from him, the sound causing the werewolf to let out a chuckle. He pressed his nose into her neck and she stiffened once more to feel his lips press against it. For a brief moment she thought he was going to bite her, but instead he pressed soft kisses along the column before suddenly latching on. As he sucked on her neck, Hermione let out a soft, yet surprised gasp before letting out a slight moan. Her body trembled as she panted softly, her mind only really able to concentrate on the way Greyback was sucking on her neck. It felt…so good, very pleasurable. And what made it worse for Hermione was that she liked it, liked the way it felt. Even so, she believed she shouldn't be letting him handle her like this. So what if she was his mate—something she still had trouble coming to grips with whenever it crossed her mind—but she was a person, damn it! She wouldn't submit to him and she would stand her ground. However, just as she was going to attempt to push him off of her, Greyback released his lips from her neck, only to lick the hickey he had given her sensually.

Looking up at him, she saw his bright blue eyes staring down at her almost intently, pupils slightly blown with some unknown emotion swimming in them. In a low voice he asked, "You feel it, don't you?"

Blinking in confusion, Hermione found herself asking, "Feel what?"

"The Pull. You feel it, don't you? You feel it inside you, calling to me."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond, particularly because she hadn't the slightest clue what the Pull was. Was it something in werewolf culture only werewolves knew about? Before she could ponder it more or even ask him what he meant, Bellatrix let out some sort of screech that drew everyone's attention that wasn't paying attention. Seeing what she was screeching at, Hermione's heart stopped at seeing her staring at the Sword of Gryffindor, her stomach dropping when she exclaimed that it should be in her vault and that they had to have broken into it. The next thing she knew, Bellatrix was firing off spells before summoning a rope and making it wrap around Greyback's neck. Greyback instantly released her, his hands moving to the rope that was tightening around his neck.

Shocked at what was happening, Hermione found herself trying to help the werewolf that had fallen to his knees, tugging on the rope as well to release the building pressure it was applying. Not being able to loosen it and seeing Greyback's turning from red to purple, Hermione turned to look at the crazy witch and yelled, "Stop! Stop it!"

Her cries were answered, as Bellatrix released the rope from Greyback's neck. Stalking over to her she hissed, "You've been in my vault! You've taken this sword from me!"

"No, we haven't," Hermione replied defiantly, though she was shaking in fear from the vicious woman in front of her.

"You say that, and yet you shake like the frightened little girl you are." Bellatrix turned to Wormtail that had been sniveling in the corner. "Take the boys to the dungeons, lock them up. We're going to have a little chat, girl to girl."

The brunette felt tears begin to prick her eyes, knowing that whatever Bellatrix was going to do, it could most likely result in her death. Brown eyes flew to Harry and Ron, silently begging them to help her. They even landed on Draco, begging him to say something to stop his aunt. And luckily, help came her way, but not from who she had hoped. Greyback, who had gotten his breath back, shot a hex at Bellatrix from behind where she stood, firmly saying, "No."

Standing again, Greyback grabbed the brunette and placed her behind him protectively, his wand trained on Bellatrix as he told her, "She's mine, you won't touch her."

Bellatrix was ready to respond until a squeaking sound caught everyone's attention. Looking up, they all saw Malfoy's House Elf fiddling with the chandelier above them. Realizing what the little creature was doing, Fenrir fished his mate's wand out of his pocket and placed it in her hand, the action surprising Hermione. Right as the chandelier began to fall, he pushed her across the floor towards Potter and Weasley, Weasley catching her while the others dove for cover. Bright blue eyes watched as his mate got with her friends and the House Elf announcing himself as Dobby, the elf popping them away to safety, but not before the brown eyes of his mate locked with his own.

A feeling of relief washed over Fenrir at the knowledge that Hermione got away. She was safe for now, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he saw he again. And he would probably be punished by Bellatrix for allowing the brunette to get away, as well as attempting to hex her, but he would take it so long as his mate was safe. His mate was his top priority, after all. She came first before anything else, no matter what.

* * *

So much had happened in the past twelve or so hours, it was all almost a blur to Hermione, That didn't matter to her though, because it was finally over. The war had finally come to an end, and she had survived. Her best friend in the world Harry Potter had successfully defeated Lord Voldemort and freed the Wizarding World from his tyranny. Finally, they all could rest easy and she could finally rest properly as well.

As she walked through the debris of the Hogwarts, the battle having taken place at the castle, her mind did reflect on two things that had happened during all the fighting. The first being that she had kissed Ron in the Chamber of Secrets. It should have sent her heart racing, as she had had a crush on him for the past two years. Or, at least she thought. She had apparently gotten over it at some point, and she supposed she kissed Ron not only in the heat of the moment, but to try to solidify how she really felt for Ron. And sadly, there was nothing there in the ways of romance. The kiss had made things awkward, but they quickly got over it, simultaneously deciding it was just better for them to remain friends.

The second thing that had happened that her mind wouldn't leave alone was seeing Fenrir Greyback protect Remus and Tonks from being killed by Dolohov and Bellatrix. He had sent a Shield Charm Tonks's way, allowing her to blast Bellatrix and send her running from relentless attacks. He had done the same for Remus when the other werewolf seemed to have given out, then followed that up with using his claws and gouging them Dolohov's eyes out, then using his sharp teeth to rip his throat out. It had been such a vicious killing, and Hermione hadn't been able to look away, even more so when Greyback had reached his hand down to Remus and Remus taking it, allowing the other werewolf to help him up. She hadn't been able to ponder on it long, but now it had her wondering if there was some sort of understanding between the two werewolves considering all the bad blood. She supposed it didn't matter, as Greyback had saved Remus and Tonks, and that was all that mattered. And though she wanted nothing to do with him, she did want to thank him for what he had done. She believed she at least owed him that, as well as saving her from Bellatrix at Malfoy Manor.

Walking into the ruins of the Great Hall, Hermione looked around before her eyes fell on Luna, the blonde witch seated next to Neville with her head on his shoulder. Walking over to them she said, "Hi Neville, Luna."

Neville grinned up at Hermione and replied tiredly, "Hey Hermione. We did it, yeah?'

"Yes, we did. It's finally over."

Luna smiled at the brunette and said, "And your new beginning can finally begin."

Hermione stared at Luna before blinking and shaking her head. She had a feeling she knew what Luna meant, and she didn't want to think about it, not really. Turning her head, she asked, "Have either of you seen Professor Lupin or Tonks?"

Nodding Neville answered, "Tonks left not too long ago, wanting to check on her mother and see her son. As for Professor Lupin, he's with Kingsley talking with McGonagall in her office."

"Thank you, Neville. I'll see you two later."

With her destination in mind, Hermione made her way towards the Deputy Headmistress's Office. After a while, she finally reached it and knocked on the door, patiently waiting to be allowed entrance. As she did, she could feel herself begin to sway tiredly on her feet. Locking her legs, Hermione shook her head slightly while telling herself she needed to stay awake. She could pass out asleep later, but not quite yet. It wasn't long the door opened and Kingsley looked down at her. Smiling at the brunette, he gave her a hug before saying, "Glad you made it, Hermione."

Smiling in return Hermione replied, "Me too." She stepped inside and smiled at Remus and McGonagall before saying, "Hi Professors."

"Hello Miss Granger," Professor McGongall responded.

Remus nodded tiredly from his seat and waved.

Looking at her student, McGonagall asked, "What brings you here, Miss Granger?"

"Well, I actually came to speak with Professor Lupin."

That getting his attention fully, Remus asked, "What is it, Hermione?"

The brunette bit her lip for a moment before finally saying, "I want to know what the Pull is and what it entails."

Hazel eyes widened in surprise before the man nodded, standing from his seat. He excused himself and told Hermione to follow him, him obviously wanting to speak with her in private about the Pull. They walked up a set of stairs before stepping inside of an empty classroom. Closing the door behind him, Remus turned to look at Hermione and said, "I suppose you're ready to speak more about you being Greyback's mate."

Nodding, Hermione said, "Yes, I am. I'm sorry about how I reacted before when you first tried to tell me. I was just overwhelmed by the news and it upset me."

"It's fine, I knew you probably would react the way you did. And I didn't have a chance to even tell you about the Pull back then, so I'm glad to tell you about it now. But first, how did you find out about it to question me about it?"

"I still don't know anything about it, but while we were on the run, we had gotten caught by some Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor, one of them being Greyback. He um…was very handsy with me, but he then asked me if I could feel the Pull inside of me, feel it calling out to him. I was hoping that you could shed some light about what he meant."

Remus's eyes widened considerably before he sighed, running a hand down his face. He seemed to be in thought for a moment before finally speaking. "I know you are probably still coming to terms with the news that you are his mate, and as I said before his actions towards you aren't uncommon considering the circumstances. I believe I neglected to say this, but a werewolf finding their mate is rare, so much so that some just settle or fall in love with someone who isn't their soulmate, but someone that they do love and care for and makes them happy."

"Is Tonks your mate, or is she the person that you love and care for? You did marry her, after all. And you have Teddy."

"No, she isn't my mate, but I do love her very much. And Teddy is my son, no matter who mothered him, so I'll always love him. But I'm saying this so you know the difference between my relationship with Nymphadora and what is going on with you and Greyback." He closed his eyes briefly before opening them once again. "Now as for the Pull, the Pull is essentially the female's response to her mate. The souls of the two are connected, and even if you try to resist, you will always find yourself drawn to him."

Hermione frowned at hearing that. "And the Pull is making me drawn to him? But I don't love him or anything."

Remus nodded in understanding. "I know, but the Pull only really occurs when the you start to love your mate unconditionally for who they are. Though that usually comes later, it first begins by causing a physical response to the mate's presence. Tell me, did you…react to Greyback when he got…handsy with you?"

Biting her lip and blushing in embarrassment, Hermione simply nodded.

"That was because the Pull was reacting to Greyback's presence to you. You are an adult now, and because you are of age, the Pull knows it as well so to speak, and thus is acting in a way to sort of…prepare you for when the time comes for you to mate."

"But I don't want to," Hermione responded defiantly. She then sighed and looked down. "But like you said before, I know he'll claim me at some point, especially now with the war being over. But…I can't deny that I do find him…attractive, as much as I find him terrifying."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But like I and Albus said before, he won't hurt you. If anything, he'll do anything in his power to win you over, to impress you and hopefully gain your affection."

Hermione thought about that, thinking that it made sense. Greyback wasn't harming her, though he wasn't shy about letting his attraction and desire for her known. Then again, now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure if he was still alive from the battle or not. Questioning her former professor about that, she found herself feeling relieved to hear that Greyback was still alive. Nodding Hermione thought about her situation, needing to think more on it properly, particularly when she wasn't so tired.

Looking back at Remus she said, "Thank you, Professor. You've given me a lot to think about."

She turned to leave but stopped at the call of her name. Turning to face Lupin, she saw him looking at her in concern. "Will you be alright, Hermione?"

The brunette gave a small smile before nodding. "Yes, I'll be alright. I just…I just need to think about this before making any decisions, especially about this. Since…since I am his mate, and he will probably start attempting to court me proper, does this mean that I'm basically betrothed in werewolf culture?"

Remus blinked in surprise, never having thought of it like that. However, as he mulled it over in his head, he found that the girl was right and nodded in response. In a way, she basically was betrothed to Greyback, though not officially by regular law. In her case though, she was by werewolf law with more emphasis for being the mate to an Alpha. It was new territory for her, and kind of new for him as well. He supposed that he owed it to her to help her in any way he could. Not only that, but he owed a debt of gratitude to Greyback for saving his life during the battle. So in a way, he would help them both. He knew it would take time, but he'd do it to—he couldn't believe he was saying this to himself—help his sire and help integrate Hermione to werewolf culture and get used to the idea of being Greyback's mate.

Hermione nodded and thanked Remus once more before turning to leave, heading back down the stairs to return to the Great Hall. As she descended the stairs, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Even when things got back to normal around her, her life would be taking a different turn. It wouldn't be long before Greyback showed back up into her life to stay, and she knew it. And though she would have to get used to it, it didn't hurt to try and gain some camaraderie with the werewolf.

Reaching the Ground Floor, she looked to the Great Hall for a moment before turning and exiting the ruined castle. She walked along the grass towards Hagrid's hut, a few surviving witches and wizards waving and smiling at her as she passed by. Before long, she reached the hut and slowed her walk as she moved closer to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Right at the edge, she stopped and looked into the woods, almost hoping to see a pair of bright blue eyes. When she didn't see or hear anything, Hermione cleared her throat before saying, "Um, I don't know if you're in there or if you hear me, but…I just wanted to thank you for protecting me from Bellatrix and for saving Professor Lupin and his wife. You didn't have to, but I really appreciate it."

Silence was her answer and she sighed, turning to head back to the castle. However, she stopped momentarily and turned back to look into the trees. There was nothing at first, but then she saw it. Movement from behind a tree in the dark forest caught her attention and moved closer, stopping just feet from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A man stood still within the shadows, but Hermione knew who he was; she couldn't mistake those bright blue eyes.

Seeing them looking at her, Hermione gave the man a small, sincere smile and nodded. Fenrir nodded in return from his spot in the shadows of the forest before saying, "You're welcome, mate. I would like to see you soon."

Did she want to see him? She supposed he wasn't going to stay away and was now kind of a permanent part of her life. Even so, did she want to see him again. As she pondered that, Luna's words suddenly sounded in her head.

_"Your new beginning can finally begin."_

Was she ready for a new beginning? Absolutely, she was. But was she ready to start it with Greyback included? Though Hermione still had her reservations, she supposed that it wouldn't hurt. Coming to a conclusion, Hermione gave the werewolf a tired smile before saying, "Yeah, that would be fine."

Fenrir's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he nodded, giving her a kind smile that sent her heart racing in her chest. His smile, she found, made his already handsome face even more so. Bidding her 'farewell' for the time being, the man turned back into the Forbidden Forest and walked out of sight, leaving the brunette standing where she was. Soon, Hermione finally turned back to walk back to the ruined castle, wondering in just what direction her life was about to go.


	9. Chapter 9

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 9

Three months later, Hermione felt she could actually relax for once. She, Harry, and Ron had been interviewed relentlessly following the end of the war, had attended many funerals for the fallen, gone to many trials to give testimonies against or to vouch for certain wizards (Malfoy being the main one, and Snape for Harry despite his death), been give the Order of Merlin, First Class, and had spent time rebuilding Hogwarts and tearing down harmful legislations the Ministry had passed while under the reign of Voldemort; Hermione made sure to quickly act against the Muggleborn Registration Commission, telling them it was unlawful and prejudice to do such a thing to Muggleborns when they were just as much witch and wizard as any Pureblood or Halfblood, no matter that they were born of Muggles, even saying some were more powerful in their magic than those of "purer blood".

Now that things were finally settling, Hermione believed it was time she start doing things for herself. And to start with, the first thing she wanted to do was find a place for herself to live. She had thought about going and looking into her old home to buy or rent—she had more money than she knew what to do with now, after all—but she felt it wouldn't be the same without her parents. Of course, finding her parents and restoring their memories was a priority of hers, but she knew that it would have to come later after she was fully settled. Therefore, she began looking for a flat to live in. She was grateful to Harry for letting her stay in Grimmauld Place with him, but she really needed her own space. Understanding her point of view, Harry agreed with her and had asked to at least go with her to find a suitable place, as well as help put up enchantments and wards should she wind up in a place that was unsavory.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and peach colored v-neck, a pair of white canvas shoes on her feet, Hermione waited for Harry at the front door of Grimmauld Place, waiting for him to end his Floo call with Ginny. After a while she heard him coming towards her, him letting out an exasperated sigh. Giving him a sympathetic look, she asked, "She's still trying to convince you to take her back?"

Nodding Harry answered, "Yeah, she is. I thought I wanted to be with her and couldn't stop thinking about her while we were on the run. And then we kissed during the battle and began dating again a week after. But then I just…well, you know why I broke up with Ginny. It just wasn't the same and I realized I wasn't as into her as I thought I was. I still care for her, but not in a romantic sense anymore. But now that we're no longer together, she won't let me alone about getting back together and truthfully, I don't want to."

"Then don't. You aren't obligated to make her wishes and dreams come true, and she has no right to pester or manipulate you about your decision in not taking her back."

"Thanks Hermione." Harry gave her a hug. "Now, come on. Let's find you a place to live and where I can hide out if I need to."

Hermione giggled, shaking her head as they exited Grimmauld Place. "You know you can just block her from calling and coming through the Floo, or even bar entry to Grimmauld Place all together."

"Yeah, that's true. But then I wouldn't hear the end of it from Ginny, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley."

The brunette shook her head and walked with her best friend, telling him that as far as finding a place to live, she didn't necessarily care if it was in the Muggle World or Wizarding World, just so long as it had a decent price, living arrangement, and would allow her to travel back and forth as needed while making her feel safe. Harry nodded in understanding and said that wherever she ended up, he'd help make sure she was safe. Even in the safest of places, danger could suddenly come upon one's door. Though, with wards in place, no one should be able to get into Hermione's new living space without her or him knowing. Deciding to hurry and meet with the first landlord of a flat building she had set up a meeting with, Hermione and Harry hurried into an abandoned alley and after quickly checking for no passing Muggles, Disapparated away.

* * *

Two hours later, Hermione was shaking hands with the kind landlady of her new flat and was handed the keys to it. The woman welcomed her to the neighborhood and wished her well while living there for however long she wished. Hermione thanked her and bid her 'farewell', the woman doing the same to her and Harry, giving the wizard a bashful smile with a shy blush, her nearly tripping over her heels as she left before quickly dignifying herself.

Giggling Hermione turned to Harry and said, "She fancies you."

Harry gave an embarrassed smile before replying, "Well, she was rather easy on the eyes. And I like how she didn't assume we were a couple like the other two did."

"No, she didn't. She thought you were my brother and asked if you were single."

"Did she really?"

"Just the brother part." Hermione laughed again as Harry blushed and scratched the back of his head.

Clearing his throat, Harry said, "Let's put up the wards and then I'll help you move your things in here."

Hermione nodded and closed the still open door before pulling out her wand, Harry doing the same, and they began putting up wards and enchantments around the flat. They were finished ten minutes later and soon were standing in front of the fireplace. Looking at the brunette Harry asked, "Want to open up a Floo Network?"

Shaking her head Hermione answered, "Not yet. But you know you are always welcome, so the wards will allow you in."

"What about Ron and others?"

"Just you for now. Besides, I don't want Ron thinking he can just show up uninvited now that I have my own space. You know, ever since we decided to stay friends after our awkward kiss, he for some reason seems to try and make it a point of being around me and sadly attempt to get me reinterested in him."

Harry shook his head. "That's not going to happen. When you were crushing hard on him, he never noticed. Now that your aren't any longer, he's trying to win you over, and like you said, it's not working; even I can see that. At least there isn't some new man in your life, or else Ron would be throwing low punches like he did with Viktor against you."

Hermione looked off to the side and bit her lip, not saying anything against Harry's words. After all, what he said was kind of true, or would be soon, she supposed. She would have a new man in her life, one that would make himself a permanent place in it. Greyback was her mate and now that the war was over, he would want to start officially courting her now, especially with her being his betrothed of sorts. Thinking about it made her wonder if she should tell Harry about her being Greyback's mate and how her life would change soon. She supposed she should but would feel more comfortable about it with Professor Lupin being present. It wasn't like she thought Harry would suddenly blow a gasket at hearing the news, but she figured he'd understand it better with Lupin helping to fill in the gaps, and Harry trusted the man after all.

Deciding to think more on it later, Hermione simply nodded in response and suggested they grab some lunch before heading back to Grimmauld Place. The two of them left her new flat, locking it behind her and activating the wards before leaving, walking down the street towards a Muggle diner. However, before they reached the diner, Harry suddenly stopped, grabbing Hermione's arm and making her do the same. Startled by the sudden halt, she asked, "What is it, Harry?"

"Look," Harry said while pointing across the street.

The brunette followed his gaze and couldn't help but gasp at what, or rather _who_, she saw. There standing in a Muggle flower shop, was none other Fenrir Greyback. Surprised at seeing him there of all places, Hermione wondered what he was doing, as well as took in his appearance. He wasn't looking how he usually did, wearing his dirty pants and large trench coat. No, he was actually kind of cleaned up, clean black pants on his legs and a white t-shirt that did nothing to hide his bulging muscles. His long hair still hung from his head onto his shoulders and had black boots on his feet. He was rather large in the shop and she could tell that many of the customers inside seemed uncomfortable with his presence, probably finding it intimidating, while a few women were eyeing him rather…were they looking at him like he was some sort of feast?

Hermione felt herself bristle for a moment and felt a sudden surge of jealously run through her before quelling it down. It wasn't like her and Greyback were together yet, nor were they official or anything like that. So, there was no reason for her to feel jealous at the prospect of other women—Muggle or not—might find the werewolf attractive. She herself found him attractive, but it wasn't like she was going to make that known. But even so, she couldn't help but think of his amazing bright blue eyes. Those were what attracted her in the first place, after all.

"Let's go see what he's doing," Harry said before stalking off across the street.

"Harry!" Hermione called after him, jogging to catch up with him.

Soon they made it to the flower shop, Harry grabbing the door handle and opening it, the bell above the door ringing as he did. Stepping inside, the two friends looked around for Greyback before settling on his large frame at the pay counter. He seemed to be in the process of buying a bouquet. Even more perplexed at that, upon already seeing him in a flower shop, they waited for him to finish his payment before finally speaking.

"Greyback," Harry said, his posture tense and his hand hovering over his pocket where his wand was hidden.

Fenrir, not really surprised at seeing Potter there as he had smelt him enter the shop past the overly sweet scent of the flowers, looked past him to the brunette standing not too far off. Smiling, he took the bouquet from the woman behind the counter and walked past Harry, stopping in front of Hermione and greeted, "Hello mate."

Blushing at being called 'mate' in front of not only Harry, but a few Muggles as well, Hermione cleared her throat and replied in greeting, "Hello Greyback."

"These are for you; I hope you like them." Fenrir handed her the bouquet, an almost bashful yet proud expression on his face.

Finding the look rather endearing, Hermione smiled and thanked him, taking the proffered bouquet from the werewolf. Looking at it, she found two types of flowers. The bouquet was made up of red roses and calla lilies. Roses were obvious for their meaning of love in its different forms and such, but calla lilies she knew meant beauty, purity, magnificence, and faithfulness. For Greyback to have picked that flower to go along with the roses, then that meant that he was letting her know he thought her beautiful and great, as well as telling her that he would be faithful to her as her mate. Having figured out the significance of it made her blush even more, causing Greyback a smile even more proudly and Harry to stare in confusion at what had just happened in front of him.

"Hermione?" Harry said getting her attention.

Realizing that she was just standing there with various eyes on her, Hermione beckoned both Harry and Greyback out of the shop and back onto the open street. Once they were outside and had walked a ways away from the flower shop, they stopped at a bench where Hermione sat, though they were still surrounded by Muggles. Harry threw up a Muffliato before whirling around to face his best friend.

"Hermione, what the hell is going on?" Harry asked. "What is Greyback doing giving you flowers? Why did he call you 'mate'?"

Fenrir looked at Harry like the answer was obvious and said, "Because she is my mate."

"Greyback," Hermione cut in, her tone admonishing him from speaking further. "Please, I haven't had a chance to tell Harry anything yet."

Harry blinked. "Tell me what? What's going on, Hermione?"

Hermione gave Harry an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I first found out, but you were so busy with Voldemort and Dumbledore and Malfoy during the time, I thought it better to keep it to myself, especially since I was still trying to wrap my mind around the news."

"What news? What did you find out that you couldn't have told me?"

"She is my mate," Fenrir said, finding himself becoming quickly irritated with Potter and his questions when he had already given him the answer before.

Silence followed his words before Harry suddenly shoved his wand into Fenrir's neck, startling Hermione and even Fenrir himself. Glaring at him he hissed, "What did you do to Hermione?!"

Glaring back at him he said, "I haven't done anything, Potter. I wouldn't do anything to harm her, she's my mate."

"Stop saying that. Stop calling her that, she isn't your mate."

"Harry," Hermione spoke, standing from the bench and gently pulling Harry's wand away from the werewolf. Looking into his green eyes she said, "It is true, Harry. I am Greyback's mate and have known it since Sixth Year. Professor Lupin even confirmed it with me."

Staring incredulously at the two, Harry blinked as he tried to process what he had just been told. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Harry looked back at Hermione and asked, "Are you sure?"

The brunette simply nodded. "We can always go talk to Professor Lupin if you're still not sure. Trust me, I had to to fully come to terms with it."

"Yeah, okay. Yeah, let's talk to Remus about this."

"What, you don't trust Hermione's word?" Fenrir asked feeling insulted on his mate's behalf.

The bespectacled boy glared at the werewolf again. "I trust her word more than yours. And if she is telling the truth, then Remus should be able to confirm and justify it."

The werewolf rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to the witch next to him. He lifted a hand a gently stroked cheek, only for it to be slapped down by Potter. He glared at Potter before turning back to Hermione, smiling softly at seeing her slight blush from his sweet action. Knowing that he had overstayed his welcome, he grinned at Hermione and said, "Until next time, mate."

Fenrir Disapparated away, leaving the two together in silence. Cancelling the Muffliato Charm, Harry looked at Hermione seriously and told her, "I'm going to need to know everything from the very beginning."

"Well, it's a bit long. It actually starts back in Fifth Year," Hermione replied.

Harry nodded and suggested they grab some takeaway and head back Grimmauld Place. There they could eat, talk, and even call Professor Lupin to come and add to the situation for Harry's understanding as well. Agreeing, Hermione followed Harry to a secluded area and Disapparated with him back to Grimmauld Place. As 12 Grimmauld Place appeared with 11 and 13 sliding out of the way, Hermione stilled and readied herself for a long talk about Greyback and what her future would look like, especially when he was going to be a constant in it now. Hopefully Harry would understand her situation. He was always the more understanding between him and Ron. And hopefully with Remus able to come, it would help to clear any further confusion. She could only hope to Merlin that things would go smoothly in their talk.


	10. Chapter 10

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 10

Hermione sat in silence as Professor Lupin—who they had fire-called over after ordering delivery takeaway (to 11 Grimmauld Place, of course)—explained to Harry her newfound connection to Greyback. Harry was having a hard time processing that his best friend was now the mate to a notoriously savage werewolf but was also interested in learning about it and this aspect of werewolf culture no one knew about. As their former professor filled Harry in on when everything happened, Hermione let her own thoughts drift off to the person they were talking about, Fenrir Greyback.

It had been a right shock to see him in such a Muggle filled area, and in a flower shop no less. And yet, he had gotten her flowers with a deep, specific meaning, not at all disturbed by the many Muggle eyes on him. It did make her wonder if any of them noticed there was something not quite right about him, with his more lupine features present and all, or were they just interested in how large he was. Looking over towards the staircase, a small smile appeared on her lips as she thought of the flowers Greyback had given her that were now resting in a vase with water. It really had been so sweet of him to give her flowers, romantic even. And the way he had looked at her while giving them to her, the way he smiled, it was obvious to her that he adored her. And just thinking of it made her blush.

Not realizing that her name had been called, she started when Harry's voice suddenly seemed to shout her name. Turning her attention to him, she asked, "What is it?"

Harry looked at her for a moment before asking in return, "Didn't you hear what I said?"

Embarrassed at having not heard, Hermione simply shook her head. Harry frowned before repeating his question. "I asked are you really okay with being courted by Greyback when he starts?"

"I think he's already started," Hermione said in reply.

Remus frowned before asking, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know we saw him in the flower shop. He gave me flowers with a certain meaning, so I think he's already begun courting me proper."

Remus nodded slowly before turning to Harry. "Then that means Greyback will be around more often. But if anything Harry, just be assured that he won't harm Hermione. As her mate, it is his duty to protect her and look out for her wellbeing, as well as her happiness. And as an Alpha, it's his duty to look out for any member of his pack. And with Hermione being his mate, it automatically makes her pack."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "But if he's to help her with her happiness, what if she's happy not being with him? What if she just says 'no' or runs away? We can protect her."

"I'm afraid that's not a possibility here, Harry." Their former professor gave him a sad smile.

"Why not? I mean, Hermione doesn't have to be with him if she doesn't want to. And if she's happy being away from him, then he would respect that, right?"

"I suppose, but Greyback will eventually claim Hermione, particularly now that the war is over and she is of age, but not without courting her beforehand. And it seems like he's already begun to do so, so only time will tell when he will fully decide to claim Hermione."

Harry looked at Hermione with such concern in his eyes. "And you're just okay with this, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed and rested her fork in her food, putting her hands in her lap. Taking a deep breath, she looked at her best friend and answered, "It's not ideal, but I have to be okay with it. Greyback claiming me will happen, and…and I've already begun to…react to him." A heavy blush appeared on her face and she looked down, her hair covering her face.

"What do you mean?"

"She means the Pull, Harry," Remus put in. At Harry's questioning gaze, he continued. "The Pull is, in short, the female response to her mate."

"So, Hermione is responding to Greyback? Is it like pheromones or something?"

Hermione scrunched her nose at the comparison while Remus seemed to weigh the comparison in his head before finally saying, "You could say that. You see, when werewolves find their mates, their souls are instantly connected and no matter how much one tries to resist, the Pull will draw then towards one another. Most times however, the Pull only occurs when the female begins to love their mate for who they are unconditionally, but usually starts off with physical responses. In Hermione's case, that is what happened with the Pull due to Greyback's presence near her at the time."

"At the time?" Harry frowned in thought before realization came over his face and he looked at Hermione. "You mean this happened back at Malfoy Manor. I remember now, because he was feeling you up before he everything when to shite."

The brunette nodded saying, "Yes, that was my first experience with the Pull. And it's only supposed to grow stronger the more I'm around him and get to know him."

"But do you really want to?"

Hermione thought about that. Did she really want to get to know Greyback? Well, she had already said it would be alright for them to see one another. And if she was honest with herself, Greyback did intrigue her, made her want to know more about him, especially now that they had a…special connection to one another now. As this thought passed through her head, she remembered Luna's words to her following the Battle of Hogwarts.

_"Your new beginning can finally begin."_

And Hermione wanted her new beginning to begin. She had already started on it by getting her own place today, and she would welcome whatever else came her way. Well, whatever else that seemed worthy of her time, anyway. And she was open to Greyback being in her life now, so it only seemed right get to know her mate. Smiling softly, Hermione looked at Harry and nodded saying, "Yes, I do. It is only fair to give him a chance despite all that he's done, especially with him being a permanent part of my life now. And that includes your life as well, Harry. I want him to get to know you properly as well when the time comes."

"She has a point, Harry," Remus said. "Are you willing to try, at least for Hermione's sake?"

Harry seemed reluctant to answer and felt inclined to say 'no', but seeing Hermione's pleading eyes made his resolve melt. Sighing he said, "Yeah, I can try, but only for Hermione."

The witch smiled and hugged her friend, happy that he was willing to try just like she was. Now that that was all settled, they moved their discussion on to helping her find furniture for her new flat in the hopes to be moved in by the end of the week. It wasn't long before Remus had to leave, stating he needed to relieve Tonks of watching out for Teddy. Once he was gone, Hermione and Harry began clearing their trash away, having finished eating their food. Hermione turned to leave the kitchen, stating she was going to the library. However, before she left, she turned back to face Harry.

"Harry, one more thing," she said.

"What is it?" he asked giving her his full attention.

"Don't speak about this to Ron just yet. I don't need him blowing up and ruining this before it even starts."

The bespectacled wizard nodded, understanding her request. Ron always seemed to have it out for any male that showed interest in Hermione in a romantic sense; Viktor Krum had been evident of that when he went from being his biggest fan to hating him upon the Bulgarian taking Hermione to the Yule Ball back in Fourth Year. And he knew about their awkward kiss in the Chamber of Secrets, but they decided to stay friends. However, if he knew Ron, he'd get territorial and try to stake some sort of possessive claim on Hermione when he found out another man—especially Greyback—wanted her romantically. And he could only imagine the blowup of finding out that their friend was destined to the notorious werewolf.

A promise in his eyes Harry said, "I won't tell him. But you should tell him soon before he finds out for himself. And I'll be there to help you tell him."

The brunette smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Harry."

* * *

By the end of the week, Hermione had moved fully into her new flat and was glad about how it looked and was decorated. Finally, she had her own space and could have her own privacy. Now she just needed to find a job, but new she needed N.E.W.T. scores to do so, and considering she hadn't attended school this past year, she had no job prospects. Well, that wasn't necessarily true, as some Ministry departments had already reached out to her offering her jobs. She had been happy to receive one from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and excited that they were offering her a job. She really wanted to work with magical creatures and work on getting all magical creatures rights, and definitely undo all the horrible legislations that Umbridge had put in place against werewolves. She wanted to do it originally for Professor Lupin and others like him, but now her heart was a little closer to the cause than before. She knew she was going to accept their offer, but she wanted to sit her N.E.W.T.s first.

Deciding to write to McGonagall and Kingsley about it, she pulled out some parchment and a Muggle pen, and began to write her letters. As she wrote, she was surprised to hear a tap on her window. Looking up, she found an owl hovering outside her flat window with a letter held in its beak. Getting up, she walked over to the window and opened it, allowing the owl to sit on her windowsill. She took the letter from the bird, thanking it before it flew off, obviously being told to not wait for a reply.

Wondering who had sent her a letter, she opened it seeing somewhat neat handwriting. She didn't recognize who it came from, but as she read she soon realized that it was from Greyback.

_Hermione,_

_I hope you liked the flowers that I gave to you earlier this week, as well as caught the meaning behind them. I know how intelligent you are, so I am sure you did understand their meaning. I am writing to you because I would like to see you again, meet up with you whenever you can. I would really like to get to know my mate more and I hope that you would like to get to know me as well. I will be patiently waiting for your reply, mate._

_Yours, _

_Fenrir_

The letter was short and simple, but it had Hermione smiling with a bright blush on her cheeks. The part that really had her blushing was his ending word: Yours. He was saying to her that he was hers, that she held his heart in her hands. It seemed a bit overwhelming that he was letting her know how much he cared for her already, but she supposed he had years to come to terms with and accept it. And she didn't doubt he cared about her.

Smiling, she held the letter to her chest before nodding to herself. She'd reply to his letter and suggest a meeting place, and then they could see where things went. Greyback—or Fenrir, as she supposed she should start calling him—already seemed to be quite serious about her and was rather confident about their relationship, considering it hadn't even started yet. But maybe, just maybe, things would turn out for the good, maybe even better than she could imagine. But first, they had to get to know each other. Returning to her letters, she finished her letters to Kingsley and McGonagall before beginning her letter to Fenrir, a smile on her lips as she wrote to him. She found herself really excited, more so than she thought she would be.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will start the beginning of Hermione and Fenrir's relationship, and I hope you will to follow their progression later on. Thank you to all that are and have been reading and reviewing this story, as well as favorite and follow it, and I hope you continue to read along. Love, SehunsBae37.**


	11. Chapter 11

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 11

Fenrir was standing almost nervously on a corner of Muggle London, waiting anxiously for his mate to arrive. He had been delighted to receive a letter from Hermione stating that she too, like him, wanted to get to know him. Thus, they decided to meet in London before starting on their adventure of learning about one another and getting comfortable. That, and it was much safer for Fenrir to meet in the Muggle World than the Wizarding World, especially considering he was still a known criminal. It just wouldn't do if he was caught and arrested by Aurors in front of his mate; it would probably convince her that getting to know him wasn't worth it, and he didn't her to think that of him.

He looked down at his attire, wondering if he looked presentable enough. He personally liked feeling the elements on his bare skin and thus would forgo wearing shirts. However, he understood that wouldn't be appropriate in a public place, and a place filled with Muggles at that. Therefore, he chose to wear—with some help from Remus who he approached after receiving his mate's letter in response to his own—a light blue button up shirt with a white tank top underneath it. He also wore a pair of blue jeans and his black boots. He felt uncomfortable and a little stifled, but so long as he looked presentable to his mate, then he would endure it.

Fenrir didn't have to wait long, as the scent of his mate soon met his nose, prompting him to look in her direction. Bright blue eyes widened as he took in the brunette's appearance. She wasn't wearing anything he would deem spectacular, but her outfit suited her, and she looked amazing to him. Hermione was dressed in a blush pink dress that stopped just below her knees, a dark blue almost black cardigan overtop of it, and black canvas shoes on her feet. Her curly brown hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail with a few tendrils framing her face, and little beaded bag was held in her hand. As simple as she looked, she was just as beautiful to him.

Finally reaching him, Hermione gave Fenrir a shy smile and greeted, "Hi."

"Hello mate," Fenrir replied with an easy smile. He could tell he made her nervous, but not in the way of being scared. No, he made her nervous in an almost excited way, he could sense it, though it was so small she probably didn't even realize it.

They stood in silence for a moment before Hermione finally broke it asking, "So, are you ready?"

Nodding Fenrir answered, "Yes, though I must wonder where we can go or what we can do here in the Muggle World. I confess I know nothing about it, so I feel a bit out of depth here."

Hermione smiled kindly at him and nodded in understanding. Many witches and wizards that weren't Muggleborn or Halfblood knew little to nothing about the Muggle World, and thus had no idea how to navigate it. So it wasn't really a surprise to her that Fenrir didn't know anything about it, though he did seem to understand going about inside a flower shop. Beckoning with her head, she suggested they go for a bite to eat to start with. That, and it would keep them from prying eyes from anyone from the Wizarding World that was possibly walking through. Fenrir walked alongside the brunette, though he was more so following her as he had no idea where she was taking him. Pretty soon they stopped in front of a little diner and entered inside, following the hostess to a small booth for two.

"Hello, thank you for dining with us. Is there anything I can start you off with and what drink you would like?" the hostess asked while placing menus in front of them. Her eyes lingered on Fenrir for a while, a light blush appearing on her cheeks as she took in his ruggedly handsome appearance.

Hermione scowled at the girl momentarily before saying curtly, "A small salad and tea for me, thank you."

The hostess blinked at the brunette before glancing at Fenrir, noticing his amused smirk as he stared at his female companion. Realizing these two were probably on a date and she had been caught openly staring at the man by the young woman with him, the hostess quickly wrote down what the brunette asked for on her notepad and asked without looking up, "And you, sir?"

"A water, please," Fenrir answered, his bright blue eyes never leaving his mate's face that was now relaxing from the irritated expression she briefly sported.

After the hostess left them to look through the menu, Fenrir chuckled and said, "I see you get jealous when other women look at me, mate."

Hermione frowned and instantly denied, "I do not."

"You do."

"Don't."

The werewolf chuckled and nodded, though he obviously didn't believe her. Hermione knew he didn't believe her, and she was embarrassed to even admit that she actually _had _been feeling a bit of jealousy, just like she had when she noticed all the women gawking at him in the flower shop. Rationally, she knew she shouldn't be feeling jealous considering she and Fenrir were now officially getting to know each other, but emotionally she was jealous of other females looking at him. It made her wonder if it was the Pull causing her to react that way, or was it something deep within her that felt territorial over Fenrir, that same thing that had been present since her Sixth Year when all she knew of him was his brilliant blue eyes.

After the initial awkwardness, the two of them began talking, starting off by making simple small talk before moving on to certain subjects of interest. During this time, a waitress had come with their drinks and Hermione's salad, and had taken their food orders: steak and kidney pie for Fenrir and fish and chips for Hermione. After the waitress left, Fenrir looked at the brunette and said, "Tell me about yourself, mate."

Brown eyes widened momentarily before Hermione took a sip of her tea, and then cleared her throat. She glanced around the diner for a moment before looking back at the man in front of her. "Well, before I do, I think it would be best if you called me by my given name out in public. Calling me 'mate' will be very off-putting and strange to those around us that may hear."

Fenrir frowned at hearing that, briefly thinking she was ashamed of being his mate and thus didn't want her to call her that. But then she hadn't really protested when he had called her that before, suddenly realizing that she meant as far as around Muggles and other people, he call her by her name; but she didn't seem to mind in private, and knowing that made him happy. Smiling he said, "Okay _Hermione_, tell me about yourself."

For some reason, the way he said her name caused a slight thrill to roll down Hermione's spine, and in response she bit her lip and looked off to the side, knowing if she looked into his eyes she wouldn't answer and would sit staring. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes briefly before opening them and she began to speak.

"Well, as you know, I am a Muggleborn witch and have been called the brightest witch of my age, but it does come with a lot of…I guess you can say it can be a bit of a burden. I mean, I was always being relied on to solve puzzles and help with mysteries…or catch my friends up on schoolwork towards the end of term or helping them with their homework."

"They took advantage of you that way? And you let them?"

"I wouldn't say that, but I am very reliable to my friends."

Fenrir frowned at that. It seemed to him based off what she said that her friends would take advantage of her smarts and willingness to help to get by in their schoolwork. And her being friends with Potter and Weasley and all of them going off on life-threatening adventures back in school, it wouldn't surprise him if they came to her with all their work at the end of term to cram for exams and she would be too nice to refuse and tell them they should have been studying themselves. Deciding not to say anything in response, he nodded and gestured for her to continue.

"I plan to work in the Ministry in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I want to work with and help give equal rights to all magical creatures, as well as take down those harmful legislations that Umbridge put up against werewolves." She had made sure to lower her voice upon saying that, as to not alert the Muggles nearby of what they were talking about.

The werewolf raised an eyebrow in interest, surprised and intrigued that she wanted to do that for a career choice, especially work with werewolves. He at first thought it was because of him, but then concluded that she probably already wanted to and being friends with Lupin made it dearer to her heart. Though, he'd like to think that now that with this new revelation of his presence in her life, he'd also be a part of the reason for doing what she wanted to do. It was very noble of her and he could definitely respect that, even respected her choice in wanting to work. Though, he did smile when she stated she needed to sit her N.E.W.T.s first and receive her scores before even stepping foot into the Ministry to work. Fenrir had no doubt that she would pass with flying colors.

Wanting to know more about her personal life, or homelife rather, he asked her what her parents did for a living, wondering what it was that Muggles did in the ways of work. At first Hermione was comfortable answering, telling him that her parents were dentists—some sort of teeth Healers—before her mood suddenly turned sad. Wondering if he had asked something wrong, he asked her and she told him that he hadn't, just that she missed her parents. When he suggested she go visit them, Hermione had simply smiled sadly and shook her head. He wanted to question her more, but he knew she didn't want to speak about it anymore and their food had arrived for them to eat.

As they tucked in, they kept talking and slowly getting to know each other. As they did, Fenrir made Hermione smile and laugh and Hermione continued to intrigue Fenrir even more. They were obviously quite comfortable together and found that they enjoyed each other's company very much. Of course, Fenrir liked being with his mate, and he was delighted to know see and feel that Hermione was comfortable with him and no longer giving off any nervous energy. And as they continued to talk and eat together, Hermione found that she wanted to do this more often with the man in front of her.

* * *

Later that evening, Hermione sat in her flat reading a book, though it was a little hard for her to concentrate on it. Her mind kept going back to her meeting with Fenrir and just how well it had gone. Any underlying fear that she thought she probably would have had hadn't been present, and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. She had to admit to herself that her favorite part about her time with Fenrir was seeing his handsome smile and how his bright blue eyes seemed to shine whenever he looked at her. It made her heart flutter in her chest and smile to herself.

A knock on the door caught her attention, causing her to stand up and put her book to the side. Walking to the front door, she looked through the peephole and saw Harry standing on the other side. Opening the door, she greeted her friend and invited him inside. Harry stepped inside her flat and looked around, complimenting her on how she decorated the place as she closed the door behind him. After asking if Harry wanted anything and him politely declining, they settled on her sofa and got comfortable.

"So," Harry began, looking at the brunette. "How did it go?"

Hermione had informed him that she was going to be meeting Greyback in a public place by herself in order to get to know him better. He had thought that sounded reasonable to do, considering they were tied to each other now. Even so, he had been a bit worried about his friend and hoped nothing untoward would happen to the brunette. Therefore, he had been glad to see her open the door to her home. Though, he still wanted to know how the meetup had gone.

Harry looked at his friend and noticed the blush on her cheeks and how her small smile seemed to grow on her face. Raising an eyebrow with a somewhat amused smile on his face, he said, "Hermione?"

She looked at him and simply answered with the utmost honesty, "It was great."


	12. Chapter 12

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 12

It had been about three weeks since Hermione and Fenrir had gone on their first date, and during that time, they had exchanged a series of letters and had even met up and spent more time together. Hermione was showing Fenrir more of the Muggle World and whether he admitted it or not, he was very much intrigued with it. Maybe Muggles weren't so awful after all; they certainly had some interesting pastimes like football and cricket. The brunette had attempted to teach the werewolf how to play cricket, only for him to hit the cricket ball a little too hard and it crashed into the window of a passing automobile. Needless to say, Hermione quickly got them away from the scene before they could be blamed for the accident.

She really couldn't believe it, almost didn't want to believe it, but Hermione was really having fun with Fenrir and getting to know him. He was actually very eloquent with his words and was more intelligent than she or anyone had given him credit for. It was apparent to her that he was more than his reputation, but no one was willing to see past it. She herself wouldn't have wanted to see past it or get to know the werewolf, but life seemed to want to take her on a different path, a path that she was intrigued enough to follow.

As for Fenrir, he was very much enjoying the time he spent with and learning about his mate. The little witch was amazing to him, always had been even before he had officially seen her in person, had officially met her. After all, one had to be pretty amazing to be donned the brightest witch of her age. Not only that, but to be on the run with two boys her age and surviving on nothing but her wits and hope and come out of a war hailed a hero, that was phenomenal. But that wasn't the only thing about the brunette that drew Fenrir in. No, it was her kindness, her pure heart, her sweet smile, those gorgeous brown eyes that looked at him like a person and not like some sort of foul creature that didn't deserve a second glance. She made him feel warm inside, made him want to be better, be worthy of her. He was well aware she hadn't fully accepted that she was his mate, but the fact that she was willing to get to know him, his interests, and make the whole mate thing between them work, it touched him in a way that he didn't think it would.

Fenrir wanted to show Hermione some of the things that he did when he was keeping himself busy and living off the land in the woods and the forests. It wasn't ideal, but in a world where he had no home and wasn't welcome, the great outdoors was his home. And he wanted to invite and show Hermione what he called home. Not only that, but he also wanted to introduce her to a skill he was sure that she didn't know how to do, a skill that didn't involve magic. He personally enjoyed it, and he believed Hermione would too.

Deciding to invite her, Fenrir had written and sent a letter to Hermione, telling her that he wanted to meet her at Epping Forest and for her to wear something that she was comfortable moving around in. He had sent that letter around seven o' clock that morning and it was now an hour after noon. He cursed himself for not putting a time to meet him and began wondering if she would even show at all. However, he didn't have to because as he was about to lean against a tree and continue waiting, a familiar brunette was heading his way.

Hermione was dressed in baby blue t-shirt that fit her body nicely, a pair of blue jeans that hugged her legs, hips, and bottom wonderfully, a pair of trainers on her feet, and her curly hair pulled back from her face in a half updo. Stopping in front of him she greeted, "Hello Fenrir."

"Hello mate," Fenrir replied with a smile.

"So, what is it that has you calling me to Epping Forest all of a sudden? I have to say I am a bit intrigued, though a bit miffed that it seemed such short notice."

Fenrir scratched the back of his head. "I apologize for my vague letter, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

Brown eyes widened in interest. "Surprise? What kind of surprise?"

Grinning at the intrigue in his mate's voice, Fenrir answered, "You'll have to wait and see. But first, I have to take us there."

He then held out his arm towards the brunette, indicating for het to grab hold of it to Side-Apparate her. Hermione did so and allowed the werewolf to Side-Apparate her away from Epping Forest, their feet hitting the ground some seconds later. Blinking, Hermione looked around and saw that they were in a clearing of another wooded area, only for some reason, it looked familiar to her. However, she couldn't figure out for the life of her why it did. Looking around, she saw what was a little camp setup with a place for a fire to be lit, long sticks that she assumed he would slide any game he caught on, and a lean-to shelter made of leaves and branches tied together with string against a tree.

Fenrir allowed her to look at it before saying almost nervously, "Welcome to my little setup."

Hermione blinked before looking up at him and at then back to his campsite. It wasn't much, but she knew for someone who lived off the land like Fenrir, it was ideal and so long as it provided him with enough to survive, he'd take it. That, and she knew no one would dare give him a real place to live because of who and what he was. The thought of it saddened her and her heart went out to man, knowing that he was essentially showing her his home when he didn't really have one.

Her sadness for him must have been present on her face, or he had just felt how she was feeling, because Fenrir placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him saying, "It's fine, really. I've always lived like this and I honestly prefer it. You know, feeling the elements on my skin and all."

"But…but don't you ever wish you could have a proper roof over your head?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

"From time to time, yes. But I'm also not stupid enough to believe I'll ever have one. I also won't be staying here much longer anyway. I live rather nomadically, so I'll be moving to a different location soon."

She wasn't sure what to say in response. Fenrir seemed to be sure of how he was living, and it worked for him. She did, however, wish she could help him acquire a proper residence, but she also didn't want to be disrespectful to how he chose to live. If Fenrir was comfortable out in the wilderness, then she would respect that. But he deserved more than some sort of glorified lean-to to sleep under every night.

A sudden idea struck her and she looked up at him, telling him she'd be right back before Disapparating away. Fenrir blinked in confusion as Hermione disappeared, wondering what his mate was doing. A minute later, she was back holding her little beaded bag in her hand. Smiling shyly up at him she said, "Fenrir, just know you don't have to have this, but maybe…perhaps you would want to have this. I have no use for it anymore and Harry, Ron, and I only used it when we were on the run."

The brunette reached into the bag, shoving her whole arm into it and dug around before finally finding what she was looking for. Pulling her arm back out, she pulled out a shrunken tent and handed it to the werewolf. As he took it she said, "It's enchanted and has bunkbeds and a picnic table and a small kitchen. It's not much, but it's something." When she saw he was simply staring down at it, she then added, "You don't have to take it of you don't want to. I just thought…well, I-"

Her words were cut off when Fenrir grabbed her arm and tugged her towards him, wrapping his strong, muscular arms around her in a hug. the action surprised Hermione, a little squeak escaping her lips as she was pressed against his muscular body. However, she soon relaxed when she realized he was just hugging her, and she wrapped her arms around his trim waist in return.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Fenrir murmured, his nose buried in her curly hair, inhaling her sweet scent, the scent that had called him to her the night he first looked into her eyes.

Glad that he appreciated her gift, Hermione replied softly, "You're welcome."

They stood there hugging for a while longer before Hermione finally pulled away saying, "Alright Fenrir, you've brought me out here for a reason. Please do tell what that reason is."

Chuckling, Fenrir nodded and placed the tent in his pocket before he began walking a bit further into the woods past his campsite, beckoning Hermione to follow. As they walked, he began to speak.

"Well Hermione, ever since you showed me what Muggles do for fun, I wanted to show you something that I do for fun as well. It's a skill that I learned years ago and still use when I hunt, though there are times I do it for fun and target practice."

Stopping, Fenrir held his hand out to about five targets set up against five trees. Hermione looked at the targets before noticing a bow and a quiver of arrows. Eyes wide, she looked up at Fenrir and asked, "Archery? You're teaching me archery?"

"Yes," Fenrir said. He then grinned teasingly at her. "That is, if you think you can handle it."

Hearing the challenge in his voice, Hermione pursed her lips and gave him a slight scowl before placing her hands on her hips. "I can handle anything thrown my way. And I'm sure I've learned much harder things than something as simple as archery."

Fenrir couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay mate, we'll see."

Picking up the bow, Fenrir proceeded to show her how to properly hold it, as well as how to pull back the string with a secure grip and enough tension in it to spring forward the arrow. He then grabbed the quiver of arrows and took one out, aligning it with the string of the bow and pulling it and the string back. He then focused on one of the five targets and released the arrow, shooting it and having the head imbed itself into the center of the target, right on the bullseye. Nodding in satisfaction, Fenrir handed Hermione the bow with a grin.

"You're turn."

Hermione took the bow and bent down to take an arrow from the quiver. Taking a deep breath, she fastened the feather fletchings to the string, her fingers holding nock securely. She pulled back on the string and zeroed in on the bullseye of the second target before releasing it. watching the arrow fly, she frowned in annoyance when the head of the arrow hit the target, but near the edge of it rather than the center like she was focused on. Hearing the man standing behind her chuckle, she turned towards him and said, "I should have hit the bullseye. I was focused right on it."

Fenrir smiled and moved to stand beside of her. "When doing archery, you also have to consider not only your target, but whether or not there is a breeze or wind about. There is a slight breeze of about five miles per hour blowing right now, so it affected where your arrow landed on the target."

The brunette was amazed that Fenrir knew that there was a breeze in the air that affected where her arrow landed, especially considering she hadn't felt a breeze. She smiled at him and announced that she was going to try again. Grabbing another arrow, Hermione prepped it on the string of the bow, preparing to pull back on it once more, only to stop when she felt large warm hands place themselves on top of her own on the grip of the bow and her hand pulling back the arrow. Not only that, but she felt his face near her own, his lips by her ear as he softly, soothingly spoke to her about what they what they were doing and properly guiding her on how to hold her tools and adjust to the wind around them.

Having the werewolf so close to her was setting off something inside of her, something in the form of desire that she couldn't explain. Perhaps it was the Pull being triggered again, but she couldn't say that she wasn't enjoying this time with Fenrir, enjoying him being so close. She allowed him to help her, and together they released the arrow, watching as it sailed through the air and hit the arrow again, only this time in its center.

Smiling brightly, Hermione said excitedly, "I did it! Well, _we _did it! Thank you, Fenrir."

"It's no trouble, mate," Fenrir replied honestly, happy to see the brunette's excited smile. He always wanted to see her smile, to see her happy, and he was glad that he was able to introduce her to something that he did all the time and learn a new skillset, as well as have her be so receptive to it.

Hermione proceeded to continue practicing, Fenrir allowing her to do so with no complaints. As she did, they talked about this and that, just enjoying each other's company as they did. Once Hermione ran out of arrows, she walked over to the targets and pulled them out, soon refilling the quiver once again. Filling the quiver, Hermione thought again about how the wooded area surrounding them came off as familiar to her, though she still couldn't think of as to why. It wasn't as if she'd been to the part of these woods that Fenrir was camping out at currently. Maybe it was its location that looked familiar and was trying to jog her memory.

Deciding to just ask, the brunette turned to the werewolf and asked, "Fenrir, where are we exactly?"

Fenrir looked at her for a moment before answering, "Devon, West Country. Why?"

A sudden feeling of dread came over Hermione. Looking around she asked, "_Where_ in Devon are we?"

"Near Ottery St. Catchpole." Fenrir looked at the brunette in confusion, wondering what the matter was. She seemed to be nervous about something. "Hermione, what's wrong? Why do you want to know specifically where we are?"

She didn't answer right away, instead looked off in a direction and took off in it in a run. Startled, Fenrir followed her, wondering just what his mate was doing. Before long, the brunette stopped at the edge of the woods, staring at a stacked building sitting some yards away from its edge. Near the stacked building was a barn and chicken coop, and she could hear hearty laughter coming from inside of the building. Closing her eyes, Hermione whispered out, "Shoot!"

Turning her head to face Fenrir she said almost accusingly, "You didn't tell me we were near the Burrow."

Frowning, Fenrir asked, "What does it matter? The Weasley's don't know I'm here and it's not as if I'm terrorizing them."

"That may be, but it will be a problem if they decide to enter these woods and come across you here. Not only that, it will be bad if they find me with you."

Fenrir didn't like what Hermione said and his bright blue eyes hardened. "Are you trying to say that you're ashamed of me? Ashamed of being my mate?"

Surprised, Hermione's brown eyes widened. "What? No! No, that's not it."

"Well, that's what is sounds like."

"No Fenrir, it's not, really. I've accepted this whole situation…for the most part. But it's not you that I'm worried about concerning you being so close to the Burrow."

"Then what is it?"

The sound of a door opening, pulling the two magical peoples' attention away from each other and back towards the strange standing building. Out of the doorway stepped a redheaded male, not that it was much of a surprise considering all the Weasley's sported red hair. But it was exactly _who _the red-haired wizard was that worried Hermione about hers and Fenrir's possible discovery together.

Looking back at Fenrir she answered, "It's him."

Fenrir was still confused. "Weasley? He's your friend, so why be nervous about him finding us together? Potter knows and he's fine with it…or as fine as he can be."

"Because Ron isn't Harry, and he's not as understanding and accepting. If anything, he's more hurtful." She then noticed Ron looking around, and more so where they were hidden. Grabbing hold of Fenrir's hand she tugged it saying, "Come on, let's get out of here before he sees us."

Fenrir allowed the little brunette to pull him away, but he did look back at the redheaded boy that she called her friend. He felt there was more about Weasley and the issue of him finding out about them than his mate was letting on about. It made him wonder if perhaps…maybe she had feelings for Weasley still, or some unresolved ones. Thinking of her being with him and not himself made him feel sick, made his heart hurt. Of course, he should expect there was still some things that would probably hinder their progress getting to know each other and get closer, but he thought they were doing well the past three weeks. And now one glance at Weasley had her reeling, and he was jealous. He felt he needed to sort what he was feeling out, and he needed to speak to someone. As they walked back to his campsite, he made a mental note to seek out Lupin again.

As for Hermione, she knew her behavior had come off odd and suspect to Fenrir, but she couldn't help it. She knew nothing good would come from Ron finding her with Fenrir, or him finding out she was the werewolf's mate. She had evidence of that when he went from being Viktor Krum's biggest fan to hating him the moment he found out the Bulgarian wizard was interested in her romantically. He'd get territorial and possessive and make her life hell until it was apparent no one else was interested in her, regardless of if she was interested or not. And she really didn't want Fenrir to experience that and have Ron ruin everything before it fully got off the ground. That, and she also had a feeling Fenrir would not only refuse to back down, but wasn't above putting Ron in his place for her sake, and she didn't want a fight to break out between her friend and her mate, so she knew she needed to tell Ron about Fenrir and soon. She supposed she'd get Harry and Professor Lupin to be with her when she did.

Realizing suddenly that she had called Fenrir her mate in her head, a heavy blush appeared on her face and she ducked her head, refusing for the man beside of her to see her red face. She couldn't believe she had just thought that! Did she…was she starting to see Fenrir as her mate as well, and wasn't even aware of it until now? Oh Merlin, she needed to talk to someone.


	13. Chapter 13

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 13

Fenrir wasted no time in tracking down Lupin when his date with Hermione was over. Showing up at his pup's home—a much nicer house than the little cabin he had been living in originally—he walked up to the door and knocked on it, calling out, "Lupin! Lupin, I need to speak with you!"

He heard movement inside and a female voice demanding to know what he was doing there. The question wasn't directed towards him, but more so Lupin who, in a effort to deescalate the rising tension of his bride, quickly told her he would handle it. Not even a minute later, Remus was opening the door and looking at Fenrir with a frown.

"How did you find me?" Remus asked.

Fenrir tilted his head with an amused smirk. "I can always find you, pup. I'm your sire, I can always find my pups."

Remus grimaced. "And I suppose that also explains how you got past the wards. Am I to never be rid of you from my life?"

"In a way, no. However, I've come for a reason. I need to speak with you about my mate."

Greenish hazel eyes widened slightly before the other werewolf fully stepped outside of his home, closing the door behind him. Beckoning Fenrir to follow, Remus walked away from the house and towards the woods, his sire following behind him. Once they were far away enough from the house, Remus put up a privacy ward in the event his nosy wife attempted to eavesdrop before turning back to Fenrir.

"Alright Greyback, you have my full attention," Remus said. "What about Hermione do you have to talk with me about?"

Deciding to get straight to the point—he wasn't a man to mince words or beat around the bush, anyway—Fenrir asked, "Does Hermione have any romantic feelings for Weasley still?"

Blinking in surprise, Remus couldn't help but ask, "What brought this on?"

Fenrir told Lupin about the special surprise he had for Hermione earlier that day and how well things had gone. But then he began speaking of how the little brunette had asked him where his little campsite was located and how horrified she had seemed when revealed he wasn't far from the Weasley family home.

Remus could understand Hermione's feelings at the time, as he too was surprised and a bit horrified that Greyback was pretty much a neighbor to the Weasleys without them knowing. But he was sure that wasn't the only reason why Hermione had seemed to freak out a bit about it the more Greyback spoke. Like his sire, it didn't take him long to deduce it had to do with Ron, though unlike Greyback, he didn't believe it had anything to do with any underlying feelings, at least not on Hermione's part. To him, Hermione had made it abundantly clear that she was willing to try and make hers and Greyback's situation work, to try and get to know him as a person and mate rather than a feared being. And from what he had been hearing from Harry, who Hermione seemed to tell bits and pieces to about her outings with his sire, things were going well. However, today seemed like a bit of a setback, though to him more of a misunderstanding on Greyback's part.

After Greyback finished telling him everything, Remus hummed quietly as he thought about it before speaking. Looking at Greyback he said, "I understand what you're thinking, but it's not what you think. Yes, Hermione did freak out over Ron, and her handling of it seemed suspect, but I'm sure it isn't because she still has feelings for him. You see, Ron is a bit…possessive of Hermione in terms of her being any one's romantic interest. Any time another male sought Hermione as a possible girlfriend to them, Ron would get jealous and territorial, more times than not saying hurtful things to knock Hermione down and hurt her feelings or self-esteem. Harry let me know this a few times in letters and Hermione had casually mentioned it when I asked her why her and Ron didn't end up together."

Fenrir frowned at hearing what the redhead would do to his mate upon some man liking her, and it made him want to rip his throat out. Unfortunately, that wouldn't bode well for him because he knew Weasley was an important friend to Hermione, not to mention the manhunt that would be on him if he followed through with his instinct. Quelling the desire down, he continued to listen to his pup speak and explain the situation, or at least what he thought it really entailed.

"Hermione is honestly probably thinking that if Ron finds out about you and your relationship with her, it is likely to blow up in her face. Ron is a bit hotheaded and could possibly cause a scene about it, saying hurtful things that could feed on her insecurities about being your mate. Also, Hermione could be trying to protect you from his ire if he found out about you two, her not wanting you to have the same experience other wizards have had in being her romantic interest that isn't him. Not only that, should he find out yours and Hermione's relationship is a bit more permanent and serious than her previous ones, she probably fears the outcome will be explosive."

"So what, Weasley thinks he has some sort of claim on my mate and that no one else can be interested in her except him?" Fenrir asked, his frown deepening and his urge to deal with Weasley on his mate's behalf rising again. "Or that she can't be interested in anyone else? So it's okay if he has his little trysts and follies with random witches so long as she stays single, but it's a problem if she's suddenly on some else's arm?"

Remus frowned. "I didn't say that."

"But you implied it."

"I did not."

Fenrir huffed and looked off to the side, his large hands placed on his hips as he thought about everything Lupin had told him. If what his pup said was the case, then that would explain his mate's dodgy behavior. Knowing that made him feel better about it, knowing that Hermione had reacted the way she did not because she was ashamed of him, but because she was worried about him if her friend found out they were together. Well, they weren't together yet, just testing out the waters and getting to know each other. Smiling softly, Fenrir couldn't help but think that it was so sweet and considerate of his mate to be worried about his wellbeing in concerns to Weasley. Not that he needed protecting from the likes of a Weasley, especially _that _Weasley, but considerate nonetheless.

Nodding his head, Fenrir said, "Alright, I understand now. Thank you, Lupin."

Remus nodded and replied, "You're welcome. Just don't do anything to Ron, even if your instincts want you to."

"I won't, even if they do. I won't do anything to upset my mate if I can help it."

Turning, Fenrir moved to leave, but stopped and looked back at his pup, grinning as he said, "Give my regards to your bride and pup. Until next time, Lupin."

Remus watched his sire disappear through the trees, letting out a sigh as he finally left. Canceling the privacy ward, he walked back to his house where he found Tonks waiting on the porch, Teddy held in her arms. When he reached her, Tonks asked—practically blurted, really, "What in Merlin's beard did Greyback want?"

Thinking of how to properly answer that without giving anything away, Remus finally answered, "Some relationship advice."

Tonks's dark eyes (grey today) widened in shock, mouth falling open as Teddy giggled at his mother's funny face. Remus smiled and kissed her cheek before suggesting they go back inside their home. He'd eventually tell his wife everything, but not until he was sure everything between Greyback and Hermione was alright.

* * *

Hermione knocked on the door of Grimmauld Place a little more frantically than she had meant to. She couldn't help it though, she really needed to speak to Harry about what had happened with Fenrir and what she had possibly realized. Waiting anxiously, Hermioone almost knocked again when the door opened, revealing her best friend. Seeing the brunette's anxious expression, Harry simply asked, "What is it?"

"Can I come in?" Hermione asked in return. "I really need to talk to someone, and it has to be you."

Harry blinked before nodding and gesturing for her to step inside. Once his friend was inside his home, he closed the door and said, "I'm guessing this is about Greyback."

"Yes, it's about Fenrir."

"Alright, well let's go into the library and we'll talk there."

The two of them left the foyer and headed down the hallway to the library, both ignoring Walburga Black's portrait as she hissed slurs and profanities at them. She was portrait, what real harm could she do other than speak to them? That, and they were just used to her doing so, knowing it would be a constant for as long as they had access to Grimmauld Place. Before long they stepped into the library and walked over to sit on the old sofa in the room. Getting comfortable, Harry said, "Alright, tell me what happened. What did Greyback do?"

"He didn't do anything, except plan a really thoughtful and fun day for me. But that isn't the reason for why I'm here, even though it is about Fenrir," Hermione replied.

Confused, Harry said, "I don't understand. Did he or did he not do anything?"

Huffing, Hermione all but shouted, "It's about him and me! I think I'm thinking of him as my mate now! Freely thinking that he's my mate!"

Blinking in surprise, Harry slowly said, "Oh."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout or get frustrated with you. I'm not, I promise. It's just…I'm a bit freaked out about it. I thought of Fenrir as my mate today and it made me wonder when I started to do so. Not only that, but it made me wonder if maybe…" The brunette's face turned pink and she looked down in her lap. "…if maybe I possibly have feelings for him and I don't know it."

Harry gave his best friend and small smile and said, "Well, considering all the time you two have spent together since you've been…dating? Is that the right word to use for your situation?"

"I suppose so. We have been on several dates, exchanged letters, meeting up a lot. And…and I enjoy spending time with him. He's much more interesting and eloquent than we originally gave him credit for. Fenrir is also very smart and can carry an intellectual conversation with no problem. But that's not all about him that I was surprised about. He's also very sweet and thoughtful and…and I can see that he cares about me."

"Hermione, forgive me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that you like Greyback."

Hermione blinked. "Well, yes, I do. He's my friend and I care about him as such."

Shaking his head, Harry said, "No, I mean that you _like _him. Romantically, I mean. It would also explain why you thought of him as your mate earlier today or whenever it was you two met up. Hermione, whether you've realized it or not, you like Greyback and you're experiencing the Pull more and more."

She wasn't sure what to say, how to respond to Harry's words. It…it couldn't be. It couldn't be true, could it? And yet, it all made sense to her. For her to think all that she did about Fenrir and for her to be thinking of him as her mate just as he thought of her as his (despite the fact she was), then it had to mean that she actually liked the werewolf, liked him a lot. And as that thought ran through her head, her heart pounded in her chest as the truth of them stunned her, as if she had been hit by the Stunning Spell. Tears began to fill her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks, Hermione gasping softly as they did.

Alarmed, Harry reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it as he asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Harry," Hermione whispered, her brown tear-filled eyes staring into his worried green ones. Opening her mouth, she spoke almost in disbelief, "I like him. I like Fenrir Greyback, Harry."

"You what?!" a loud, familiar voice shouted, startling Harry and Hermione and causing them to look towards the entrance of the library. Green and brown eyes widened as they looked at the angry looking redhead that was their friend, Ron Weasley.

Realizing Ron had overheard their conversation—never mind how he entered Grimmauld Place without either she or Harry hearing—a feeling of dread filled the pit of Hermione's stomach as she looked into his angry blue eyes. Ron had overheard her saying she liked Fenrir, and she knew the conversation to come was not going to be good.


	14. Chapter 14

Mate of My Desire

FenrirxHermione

Rated NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Mate of My Desire

Chapter 14

"What do you mean you like Greyback, Hermione?" Ron asked stomping into the library towards her and Harry. "How can you like that filthy, disgusting beast?"

Hermione sighed and said, "Ron, don't start."

Ron's eye twitched and stopped in front of the brunette, his blue eyes glaring into her brown ones. "I asked you a question Hermione, and I demand an answer."

"You can't demand me anything, and I don't have to answer that question if I don't want to," Hermione replied defiantly, having bristled upon Ron demanding her to answer him.

Harry, immediately seeing this conversation was going south, stood up and tried to step in between his two friends. Holding his hands up in a placating manner, he said, "Ron, calm down. This will be easier to explain and talk about if you just-"

"Calm down?!" Ron shouted. "There is nothing to calm down about! Hermione just said that she liked Fenrir bloody Greyback, and you're telling me to calm down?!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, her hands on her hips as she glared at the redhead. "What does it matter to you who I fancy, Ronald? Or better, why is it that every time I seemed to fancy someone, or they fancy me, you get your knickers in a knot and bellow and make a scene like you're doing now?"

Ron looked caught off guard by her questioning and began to flounder in an answer. Seeing this, Hermione's eyes widened and she said in disbelief, "Don't tell me you are still holding onto the hope that we will end up together."

Blushing slightly, Ron scratched the back of his head and said, "Well, the thought has crossed my mind a few times."

"Ronald, we decided to stay just friends after that awkward kiss in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Yeah, but I thought that maybe you just weren't ready for a relationship with me."

"I don't _want _a relationship with you beyond friendship. What can't you understand about that?"

Ron frowned before his face contorted into a scowl. "But you fancy and want a relationship with that disgusting werewolf Greyback? I won't allow it, Hermione."

Hermione blinked before glaring in return. "You can't not allow me to do anything."

"And why would you even want to like Greyback? There's nothing redeeming about him that could make him anyone's choice in partner."

Harry took this moment and say, "Ron, cool it a bit."

"Fenrir has plenty if redeeming qualities!" Hermione shouted. "You don't know him like I do, so you don't know what he's really like!"

"Hermione, be realistic. Greyback is only using you and just wants into your knickers. Once you give him that, he'll toss you away and you'll come crawling back to me. I'll take you back, but I'm also going to tell you 'I told you so'."

"How dare you?!"

"Ron, that's enough," Harry said, knowing Ron was crossing, if not had already crossed a line."

Ron turned his attention towards his other best friend. "And how can you defend and condone this, Harry? Why aren't you against this like I am?"

"Because you don't understand what's going on, Ron."

"Oh, I know what's going on. You are allowing Hermione to fraternize with that Death Eater werewolf and letting him brainwash her into his clutches. Can't you see he's just using her? Seducing her for his nefarious plans?"

"I'm surprised you even know what nefarious means," Hermione couldn't help but jab, causing the redhaired wizard to glare at her.

Ron shook his head and pushed past Harry, grabbing Hermione's arm and began dragging her out of the library. Hermione struggled to be released, saying, "Let go of me, Ron! Where are you taking me?"

He continued walking, Harry following behind them as he said, "To the Ministry so they can take this werewolf curse or whatever Greyback has placed on you off."

"Werewolf curse? Ron, you're being ridiculous! And let go!"

"Ron, stop!" Harry said, but he could see Ron was beyond listening. He had obviously made up his mind about why Hermione liked Greyback and he wasn't going to stop until he supposedly "fixed" Hermione. Or in other words, made it so she wanted him again. Shaking his head at Ron's stupid jealousy, he took his wand out and cast the Incarcerous Spell on Ron.

Ropes wrapped around Ron's ankles, causing him to fall and hit the floor, his grip on Hermione loosening as he did. Hermione, quickly standing back up and moving next to Harry, glared at Ron and said, "Ron, you don't get a say in who I can or can't fancy. And stop acting jealous over the fact that someone could fancy me just as well; it's pathetic. But know this: I will never, _ever_, want to be with you in that way. I've tried it, didn't like it, and I've moved on. You need to do the same and quit holding onto hope that we'll try again, because we won't."

The redhead stared up at the brunette in shock for a moment before he scowled, his face turning an ugly shade of red. Banishing the ropes around his legs, he stood up and said, "We aren't done discussing this, Hermione."

"Yes, we are," Hermione replied before turning and heading back into the library.

Once she was gone, Harry sighed and turned back to Ron. Looking at his best friend, Harry asked, "Ron, why can't you just support Hermione in her liking someone that isn't you?"

"Because her liking Greyback is ridiculous!" Ron replied in a shout.

Shaking his head, Harry said, "I didn't 'Greyback', I said 'someone', meaning any person. Why is it that you can like whoever you want, but she can't unless it's you? It's like you're trying to control her, and we both know you can't control Hermione."

"I'm not trying to control Hermione, but no one is really going to want to be with her. They won't be able to handle her, and she needs someone her equal."

"Well, if that's the case, then you really aren't her perfect match. I'm sorry Ron, but I think it's best if you just let Hermione go. Because if you don't, it will only end in disaster for you and you'll end up losing Hermione as a friend completely."

Ron stood in silence for a moment, thinking over what Harry said. After a few moments of silence, he shook his head saying, "She can't like or be with Greyback, and I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen."

With that, Ron walked past Harry and out of Grimmauld Place, slamming the door behind him. Harry sighed as Walburga Black's portrait began screeching and spouting curses and slurs, before turning and heading back into the library where Hermione was lying on it, back facing him. Walking over to her, Harry bent down next to her and placed a gentle hand on shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. In a soft voice he asked, "Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded and replied just as softly, "I guess so."

Turning around to face Harry, she looked into his green eyes and said, "He won't understand why I like Fenrir, Harry. He won't understand the connection I have with him and that it isn't something that can be fixed. Even if I tried explaining it to him, Ron wouldn't listen. And now I'm afraid he's going to do something stupid. I don't know what to do."

Harry looked at the brunette, hating to see her distressed like this. Thinking for a moment, he suggested, "How about we talk to Remus about what to do? And you can speak to Greyback about it, as well as tell him how you really feel. It's not much, but it's a start."

Hermione thought about it before nodding, thinking Harry just might be right. Sitting up again, she stood and walked out of the library, telling Harry she'd see him later before leaving Grimmauld Place and Disapparating to her flat. Stepping inside her home, she walked to her bedroom and fell on her bed, lying there as she stared at the ceiling. She knew Ron wouldn't accept she had feelings for Fenrir, but to go as far as to suggest she was under a werewolf curse was ridiculous. But she could only hope Ron wouldn't throw this whole situation completely out of proportion, especially when she hadn't explained anything to him yet.

Rolling onto her side, sighed before closing her eyes, deciding to try and take a nap. Even so, she didn't really want to be alone. If she was honest, she wanted Fenrir with her, wanted to take comfort in him. But she had no idea where he was and didn't want him to see her upset. Deciding to leave the thought be, she tried to settle down, but was disturbed by a knock on the front door.

Wondering who that could be, Hermione got off her bed and walked back into the main room and to the door. Opening the door, brown eyes widened in surprise at seeing none other than Fenrir standing on the other side of the threshold. Blinking in surprise, Hermione couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing here?"

Fenrir gave her a concerned look saying, "I felt you were distressed, and I wanted to make sure my mate was alright."

They stared at each other for a moment, Hermione's heart pounding in her chest at the thought that Fenrir had sought her out just to make sure she was alright and that she felt better. It was so sweet of him, it made her heart swell and she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Smiling, she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close as she buried her face in his strong chest. Fenrir wrapped his arms around her in return, holding her close and providing her with all the comfort that she sought. He had no idea what had caused his mate to become upset, but he would do anything to chase it away and make her happy again.


End file.
